


Hollow Hero

by Zinoviev



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Baby Ben Solo, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Leia Organa Deserves Better, No Smut, POV Luke Skywalker, Romance, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 42,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinoviev/pseuds/Zinoviev
Summary: After the fall of the Empire, Luke Skywalker feels lost. He traverses the galaxy, searching for Jedi Artifacts in a hollow attempt to find a purpose in life. Only when he hits his lowest point does he finally find her. She is both beautiful and broken, driven and directionless, powerful and powerless. She is the woman he never knew he needed. Her name is Mara.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade & Leia Organa, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 47
Kudos: 40





	1. Disappointment

_Prologue_

Rays of bright sunlight streamed in through the narrow windows of the dilapidated hut. There was a rickety chair next to a circular table made of stone in the center of the living area. These modest furnishings were covered in a thick layering of dust which glowed dimly in the afternoon light. Rested atop the table was an inconspicuous metal pyramid about half a foot in diameter. When activated, the device would emit a warm golden hue, but now it was idle. A man stood above, his head eclipsing the suns and casting a dark shadow over the pyramid.

His eyes were shut and his fists were clenched at his sides. Luke Skywalker was livid. He had only reluctantly decided to come back to this place, and now he was certain it had been a mistake to do so. There was no knowledge to be gained here, only pain. That's what he deserved for chasing ghosts.

Anger bubbled up within him, but he had long since learned how to suppress it. He exhaled slowly out of his mouth and decompressed. Flexing his fingers – flesh first and then mechanical – he restored a modicum of control over himself before opening his eyes. He stared down at the holocron for a long while. Why had he opened it? He had known that it would be a mistake.

There was only one choice: He had to destroy it. It was too much of a risk to keep around. And yet…

Luke spun to the left when he heard a familiar whistle. He frowned when he saw his trusty companion R2-D2 emerging from around the corner.

"Artoo, what are you doing here? I told you to stay with the ship."

His droid shook his domed head and made an endearing chirping sound.

"A transmission? From whom?"

Artoo came to a stop next to the wooden chair and activated his holoprojector, revealing a blue-tinged woman in a white dress.

"Leia!" he exclaimed. "What are you –"

" _I'm sorry about this, Luke,_ " she interrupted. " _I know you wanted to go dark, but I had to reach out to you. I hope this is a good time._ "

"Yes, of course," he lied while hastily reaching for the holocron and hiding it behind his back. "What, um… what's up?"

His antsy behavior did not go unnoticed. Leia could clearly see that something was up, but she didn't press him. " _So listen, I got contacted by an anonymous individual who had some information,_ " she said. Luke arched an eyebrow, intrigued yet skeptical. " _Before you say anything, I know it's suspicious, but I think you should come back to Chandrila to hear what they have to say._ "

"You can't tell me?" he asked.

" _I'd rather not over hologram. You never know who might intercept this call._ "

"Like whom?"

" _I don't know, Luke. It's just dangerous, okay?_ "

Luke looked away as he considered this. "So you want me to come all the way back just because of this?"

Leia nodded. " _I do._ "

"Are you sure there isn't some other reason?"

" _Like what?_ "

Luke shrugged. He didn't know why Leia would be willing to jeopardize his mission by making contact with him like this, but he suspected it wasn't because of this mystery contact. Something else was on her mind.

"Turns out, I'm finished with my mission, anyway," he said.

" _Oh really? Did you find what you were looking for?_ "

"Not exactly," he murmured.

" _I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you're coming back. It's been a while._ "

"A while? I've barely been gone a week."

" _Really? It feels longer than that._ "

In spite of his foul mood, Luke smiled thinly. It felt good to be missed.

"I'll see you soon," he said.

" _Good,_ " she said. " _I've got to go. Ben just woke up._ " Luke's smile faded and his grip on the holocron tightened. " _Love you, Luke._ "

He swallowed hard. "Love you, Leia."

His sister's hologram flickered out when Artoo deactivated the holoprojector. He stared blankly at the opposite wall for a few moments before raising the holocron from behind his back. For a long while, he contemplated the ancient vessel. His gloved fingers grasped the metal tightly. Should he choose to do so, he could crush the holocron in his fist. In his mind, he envisioned it happen. Shards fell from his fingertips and smashed to the dusty floor. Raising his foot, he crushed the remaining fragments under his boot and walked away.

But he didn't do that. Instead, he bowed his head and set the holocron back down on the table in front of him. Turning around, he walked away a few lengths toward a wooden crate in the far corner of the room. Unfastening the clasp, he opened the lid with a creak.

_What's that?_

_This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight._

Rather than producing a lightsaber, however, Luke sifted around in the crate until he found a humble sack made of mottled green and grey fabric. He untied the sack and emptied out its sandy contents before closing the crate once more. Making his way back to the table, he picked up the holocron and placed it back inside the sack from which he had found it.

"Alright," he said with a sigh. "Let's go."

Unimpaired by the debilitations of nostalgia, Artoo led the way out of the hut without a moment's hesitation. Luke remained behind for a moment, however. He inhaled deeply, the musky scent harkening long forgotten – or perhaps long suppressed – memories.

_How'd my father die?_

Before the old man could so much as lie, Luke closed his eyes and marched out of the hut. Ducking underneath the short doorway, he arrived outside to see Artoo waiting for him. Parked below the cliffs in a barren valley was his X-wing. Determined not to waste any more time in this place, Luke pushed onward toward the stairs, but something stopped him. He looked up, a warm sensation on his cheek compelling him to do so.

Beyond the craggy rocks and sandy dunes was a marvelous sunset. The sky was painted red and orange by the two suns which were descending beneath the horizon. Luke stared at the spectacle, yet rather than inspiring a surge of spirits like it did so often in the past, he felt nothing but a hollow disappointment.

Drooping his head, Luke resumed his trek down the stairs and away from his past.

Δ Δ Δ

_One day later_

Luke set his bags down and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. He had arrived on Chandrila an hour prior and hadn't wasted any time getting to Leia's apartment in the center of the city. It was early enough in the morning that he suspected she would still be here, but he couldn't know for sure. She kept herself busy at the Senate these days.

He had only just closed his eyes when the elevator came to a stop and the door opened. Sighing, he leaned down and picked up his bags before stepping off the lift. He proceeded down a blue carpeted hallway toward the front door. Before he even knocked, it slid open.

"Luke!"

He got one good look of his sister before she threw herself at him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. She looked exhausted. The heavy bags under her eyes and frazzled hair suggested a woman at wits end. No wonder she had missed him so much. The work must be killing her.

"Are you okay? Where's Han?" he asked when she released him.

"Come in, come in," she said without answering. "Let me get that for you."

"No, Leia –"

Ignoring him, she picked up one of the duffel bags he had dropped. Throwing the strap around her shoulder, she turned around and trudged into the apartment.

"What are you packing in here? Bricks?"

Luke chuckled. "Something like that," he said. Following her through a well-decorated living room, Luke noticed a little plastic pacifier next to a datapad on the couch. "Hey, Leia, you can set those down," he called after her.

She turned around, and once again Luke was struck with how terrible she looked. While her face had lit up with delight at his arrival, no amount of radiance could hide her ghostly complexion and gaunt countenance. She must have been wearing a great deal of make-up the day before when they had talked over hologram, because there was no way he could have missed it otherwise.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I was going to bring them to your room down the hall."

"That's okay, really," he insisted. "I'll bring them myself."

Leia opened her mouth to object, but a high-pitched whine caused her to stop. "Oh kriff," she cursed under her breath. Setting the bag down with a thud, she spun around and took a left down the hall. Setting his own bag down, he hurried after her. He arrived in a sleek kitchenette with a stainless steel refrigerator and a sparkly clean food replicator. Turning his head to the left, he saw Leia leaning down by a high chair at the head of an oval-shaped kitchen table.

"It's okay, Benny. Mama's here."

Luke watched as Leia picked up her wailing son. He kicked his pudgy legs, but soon calmed down when his mother hugged him to her chest. She sighed while she stroked the back of his head, eyes closed shut as she swayed back and forth.

"It's okay," she said again in a feeble voice.

Realizing that he was biting down on his tongue painfully, Luke exhaled once and relaxed his face. "Anything I can do to help?" he forced himself to ask.

Leia looked up at him. "No, that's alright," she said. "I'll manage."

Luke frowned at this. "Where's Han?" he asked for a second time.

Leia's already-stormy expression turned darker still. "Away," she said.

"Away? What does that mean?"

"It means he's not here."

So that explained why she had wanted him back so urgently. What had happened? Had she and Han gotten into a fight?

"Is he coming back?" Luke asked tentatively.

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Leia said when she set Ben back down. The toddler had ceased crying for now, but when his mother walked away, he pounded his little fists on the plastic tray table attached to his chair.

"Mama!"

Leia ignored her son and instead rubbed her forehead wearily as she made her way toward the fridge. She opened the door and craned her head back to him. "Luke, would you mind?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Ben's going to start crying in a second."

Right on cue, the toddler let out a high-pitched wail. Luke winced at the sound.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "On it."

While Leia returned her attention to the fridge, Luke walked over toward his nephew gingerly. He pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him.

"Hey, little man," he said with a plastered smile. Unimpressed, Ben continued to cry louder.

"What are you doing?"

Luke spun his head back around to see Leia giving him an incredulous glare. "What?" he asked.

"He's a toddler, Luke. You can't have a conversation with him." When Luke stared blankly at her, she groaned in exasperation. "You have to hold him," she said.

"Oh. Right."

Satisfied, Leia closed the door and walked away with a gallon of milk in hand. Taking a deep breath, Luke turned back toward the distraught Ben. He stood up and loomed over the toddler for a moment, limbs frozen with indecision. He was finally spurred into action when Ben knocked over the plastic sippy cup in front of him with a swipe of his hand.

"Woah!" exclaimed Luke. He picked up the cup and set it down on the kitchen table out of range from Ben's flailing fists. "Easy there, buddy." Reaching down, he placed his hands around Ben's tiny midsection and lifted him into the air. Luke cradled the baby in his arms, the warmth he exuded causing Luke's anxiety to ebb. This really wasn't that bad.

Ben looked up at him with wide, glassy eyes. He stopped crying and made a gurgling sound not unlike a laugh. Suddenly, he spoke.

"Dada."

Luke stiffened. As if sensing his discomfort, Ben began to squirm in his arms, but Luke strengthened his grip. Looking up, he saw that Leia had not missed this telling exchange and was watching the pair of them with a somber expression.

"What happened between you and Han?" Luke asked her.

Leia shook her head and picked up the bowl of cereal she had prepared for herself. "I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled.

"I can't believe he would leave you like this," Luke said. "With how busy you are in the Senate, he should –"

Leia cut him off. "I know, Luke," she said. "I really don't want to talk about it right now, okay?"

Luke hesitated. "Sure," he said. Relieved, Leia brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead and sat down at the head of the table across from Ben. He watched her cautiously for a few moments before speaking. "So, how are things going in the Senate?"

"Ugh," Leia said. "I _so_ don't want to think about that."

"So not well?"

"Oh it's not that," she assured him. "It's just so much…"

"So much what?" Luke asked when she trailed off.

Leia sighed. "Everything," she said.

Luke nodded sympathetically. "Maybe you should take a leave of absence," he suggested. "It wouldn't be unwarranted."

"No, I won't do that," Leia said at once. "There's still so much to do."

"Okay, it's just an idea."

Leia took a bite of her breakfast before looking up at him. "What about you?" she asked, studiously diverting the conversation. "How was your trip?"

Now it was Luke's turn to be taciturn. "Oh, you know," he said vaguely. "Same as usual, I guess."

"What does that mean?"

Unsure of what to say, Luke looked down and didn't answer. His hands were rested on the table and he elected to inspect his sanded-down fingernails while Leia continued to stare at him.

"Was it hard?"

Luke looked up at this question. "Was what hard?" he asked.

"Going back home."

He tried not to react, but there was little point in hiding. Leia already knew the answer before she asked the question.

"I warned you it might be," she said.

Luke nodded as he looked back down at his hands which were now clasped together tightly. "It was so… quiet," he said. After having left Anchorhead, Luke hadn't encountered a single soul. He hadn't expected to, but even so it was an eerie and distinctly depressing experience.

"You can go back, but it's best to move forward with your life, Luke."

Luke's expression hardened. "Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?" he asked. At once, he regretted saying this. How could he have been so inconsiderate? "Leia, I'm sorry –"

She wasn't listening, however, so Luke shut up. She was clutching her bowl with both hands as she stared down at its soggy contents. When she looked up, Luke felt a second pang of remorse when he saw how sullen her expression had become.

"Look after Ben for me, would you?" she asked, her voice hollow. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Leia –"

She stood up and carried her half-eaten breakfast away. Without giving him a chance to apologize further, she deposited the bowl in the sink and left the kitchenette. For a moment, Luke considered going after her, but he ultimately decided against it. He instead turned back to Ben who was watching him with wide, brown eyes. Luke pulled his chair closer and reached up to wipe a bit of spittle off of Ben's chin with his sleeve.

"Your uncle's a real idiot," he muttered under his breath.

The baby's face lit up as he reached up with both hands to grab onto Luke's sleeve. Ben giggled as he pulled at one of the buttons and tried to put it in his mouth. It was endearing, but Luke didn't smile as he watched.

"A real idiot," he said again.

Δ Δ Δ

Leia didn't speak to him for the rest of the morning. As she went about her exhaustive morning routine, Luke sat at the kitchen table tending to the irrepressible Ben. They had made a fun little game of Luke placing the sippy cup down on the table and Ben gleefully knocking it back over. After the twelfth such iteration of this sequence, Leia finally returned.

"You ready?" she asked.

Luke turned around to see her standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. She looked much better than she had an hour prior, but he knew that it was just a mask. Underneath the elegant attire and heavy coating of makeup was the same exhausted and deeply hurt woman.

"Ready for what?" he asked.

Leia gave him a strange look. "To go to the Senate," she said as if this was obvious.

"What about Ben?" Luke asked. With Han not here, they couldn't just leave him behind.

"He's coming with," Leia said. "Let's go."

Without waiting for a response, she spun around on her heel and exited the kitchenette. Luke stood up and glanced down at Ben. The toddler met his gaze with a frown.

"You heard her," he said. Leaning down, he scooped up Ben without any hesitation this time around. He carried him away after Leia toward the living room where he found her kneeling down by the coffee table. She glanced up when she heard him arrive.

"You've got him? Oh good."

She stood up and picked up a light blue bassinet by the arched plastic handle. She secured it with her left arm before gesturing for Luke to set Ben down on the soft bedding. He did so with the utmost care, determined not to bump the baby into anything by accident.

"There we go," Leia said once Ben was safely rested in the bassinet. Pressing a button, she activated the antigrav and folded back the handle. "Shall we?"

The trip to the Senate building was made in silence. While Leia drove the speeder, Luke sat in the shotgun seat with the bassinet in his lap. Ben's babbling sounds were rendered inaudible by the wailing wind as Leia swerved in and out of traffic with reckless abandon. Every now and then, Luke would spare a furtive glance at his sister. With the amount of stress she was under, he was afraid she might snap at any minute.

They arrived at their destination just before noon. The crowds typically parted before them whenever they passed, but today they had no such luck. A collection of senators stopped them to shake their hands and heap effusive praise upon them. Leia handled it far better than Luke managed to do. He remained aloof as he watched Leia dazzle her colleagues with patented smiles and sharp wit. Finally, they managed to extricate themselves from the crowd and make their way upstairs to Leia's office.

"Does the attention not drive you crazy?" Luke asked once the door had sealed shut behind them and they were mercifully alone.

Leia didn't respond right away as she marched into the room. She gave Ben a strained smile before setting his bassinet down in the corner of the room by the ergonomic chair behind her desk.

"You used to like it, if I remember correctly," she said, turning around to give him a wry look before walking toward the holoboard against the wall. She activated the device and began sifting through her calendar with dizzying speed.

"I guess, but it's so overwhelming nowadays," Luke complained. He took a few steps forward so he could stand next to her. "What are we looking at?" he asked

"I've got to push back some meetings," Leia said out of the corner of her mouth. Brow furrowed with concentration, she swiped at a few pop ups on the screen.

"Why? I'm not intruding on anything, am I?"

"No, of course not," Leia insisted. "Actually, you're giving me the perfect excuse to duck this super boring budgetary meeting."

"How so?"

Leia looked up at him and smiled for the first time in hours. "I was hoping we could spend some time training."

Luke blinked a few times as he processed this request. "Training?" he repeated.

"You know," Leia said as she nudged him with her elbow. "Jedi training."

"Oh, right. That."

"It's been ages," Leia said as she spun away from the board and made her way toward her desk. Luke pursed his lips and followed after her.

"I don't know, Leia," he said. "You've got a lot on your plate as is."

Leia gestured for him to sit down in the opposite chair and he did so. "I know that, but I was thinking about what you told me last time about meditation. I think that could really help, you know? Clear my mind, and what not."

Luke shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea," he told her.

Leia's face fell at this demurral. "Why not?" she asked.

"The type of meditation the Jedi do isn't relaxing in the way you're thinking," he explained. "It's actually really strenuous."

"In what way?" Leia asked, frowning.

Luke sighed. "It's hard to explain, okay? If you want to relax, meditation isn't the way to go."

"I don't want to relax, Luke, I want to learn."

Frustrated, Luke looked away toward Ben who was watching their conversation intently. "Alright, but now isn't the best time," he said.

"How come?"

"I told you, Leia," he said with greater astringency than intended. "You've got enough going on as is. You can't just train to be a Jedi in your free time. It doesn't work like that."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with me doing it two years ago," Leia pointed out. "Is this because of Ben? Do you think I can't do it because I'm a mother now?"

"Partially, yes."

Leia seemed to take offense at this. "I've always been busy!" she exclaimed. "Ben hasn't changed that!"

"I understand, but –"

"I want to do it, Luke," Leia interrupted. "Are you really going to deny me this?"

Luke bit back his retort and acquiesced. "Of course not," he said.

Leia elevated her chin. "Good," she said. She scrutinized him for a moment longer before looking away to pull out one of her desk drawers. She fished around for a few seconds before producing a circular fob. "To business," she said, sliding the fob across the desk.

Luke trapped it under his mechanical hand. "What's this?" he asked.

"My contact sent me this message," Leia told him. Luke took a moment before realizing what she was talking about.

"Right," he said, removing his hand and looking down at the fob. "So who is this mystery contact?"

"No idea," Leia said. "They say their name is Arcanus."

"Arcanus?"

"A code name, most likely," Leia told him. "Go ahead. Listen to it."

Luke waved his hand and activated the device. It flickered to life and an undulating frequency wave was projected in front of him. A garbled and impossibly deep voice spoke.

" _Greetings, Senator Organa. My name is Arcanus. I am making contact with you share some important information I have which might be of considerable interest to your brother, Luke Skywalker._ "

Luke looked up and met Leia's eyes through the projection. She shook her head, indicating that there was more to this message.

" _For the better part of a year, I have been tracking down an ancient artifact_ _which once belonged to the Jedi Order. I have finally uncovered its location, but I am unable to reach it without a Jedi's assistance. My interest in this artifact is purely academic. Once it is retrieved, I will catalogue it for my records and allow Master Skywalker to do with it as he pleases. If this arrangement is suitable to him, he may find me on Yavin 4 at the following coordinates._ "

The fob projected a series of positional coordinates which flashed for a few seconds before disappearing.

" _Thank you for facilitating this arrangement, Senator. I look forward to making your brother's acquaintance._ "

The message ended there and the projector dimmed. Luke stroked his chin pensively as he considered this proposition.

"So what do you think?" Leia asked.

Intuition told him this was a trap. Why would this individual refuse to identify themselves? And why would they spend so much time searching for this artifact only to surrender it the moment they got their hands on it? But Leia didn't need to know about his suspicions.

"Sounds promising," he said.

"Seriously?" Leia asked. "You're not at all concerned this might be a trap?"

"Set by whom?"

"I don't know. Some ex-Imperial nut job who wants revenge?"

Luke shrugged. "I doubt it," he said.

"What's so special about all these artifacts anyway?" Leia asked. "You've spent two years collecting them, but what's the point?"

"They're important," he said vaguely.

"That sure clears things up."

Luke smiled thinly. "If I'm going to truly become a Jedi, I need to uncover their secrets," he explained. "This thing on Yavin 4 could be crucial."

"Or it could be nothing."

He shrugged. "There's only one way to find out."

Leia looked down and rapped her fingers against the surface of her desk. "So you're going?" she asked.

Luke was about to answer in the affirmative when he faltered. Leia had called him all the way back to Chandrila in large part because of how lonely she was. But what was he supposed to do? Stay behind at her apartment and look after Ben while she worked at the Senate? There was no way he was going to do that.

"I'll be back soon," he said. "Three days at most, I bet."

"How do you know that? You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"Leia, I'll be fine," he assured her.

"What about my training?" she asked with a hint of desperation.

"We can do it when I get back," he said.

Luke could tell he had disappointed her, but he refused to feel guilty. Biting his tongue, he looked away and shook his head.

"This is what I do, Leia," he said. "I can't ignore an opportunity like this. You understand, don't you?"

His sister didn't respond.

Δ Δ Δ

Later that night, Luke was lying on his back with his mechanical hand rested behind his head. He was staring up at the ceiling, listening to the rhythmic cadence of his breathing. He knew he had disappointed Leia today, but Luke couldn't dwell on that. With all the things on his mind, there was only so much he could focus on.

Determining that he wasn't going to be able to get any sleep that night, Luke sat upright and rubbed his eyes. He slipped out of bed and made his way toward the ottoman in the corner of the room. Leaning down, he picked up the black shirt he had worn that day and threw it on over his undershirt. As he patted himself down and unruffled the fabric, Luke's eyes drifted down toward the two duffle bags on the ground by the ottoman. He continued to stare at them while he finished getting dressed.

Taking a seat while he tied the laces to his boots, Luke finally caved and opened the nearest duffle bag. He didn't need to search for long before his fingers found the little green sack which carried the holocron. Raising it, Luke undid the knot and dropped the artifact onto his lap. It was beautifully crafted. An eloquent pattern of golden vines and branches snaked up and down the vessel's four panes. Luke ran his finger along one such vein and closed his eyes.

He stopped himself with a start. What was he doing? He couldn't open this here! What if Leia happened to walk by and overheard its contents? Determined not to make such a mistake, Luke stuffed the holocron into the sack and was about to put it back in the duffel bag when he heard a crash. Luke leapt to his feet. What was that? It sounded like it was coming from the living room.

Clutching the holocron in his left hand, Luke reached to his belt and produced his lightsaber. Keeping the weapon inactive for now, Luke opened the door and stepped outside. He tiptoed down the hallway, passing the nursery on his way to the living room. There, he found a shadowy figure sprawled out on the couch. Luke took a few steps forward and made out the person's face.

"Han?"

His brother-in-law startled at Luke's voice. Jumping to his feet, he reached for his holster only to realize that it was him.

"Luke!" he said far too loudly. Grinning broadly, he pulled him into an embrace. "How've you been?" he asked.

"Keep quiet!" Luke hissed as he pushed Han away. "Do you know how late it is?"

Han blinked a few times. "I, uh… I dunno," he said.

Luke's made a face when he got a whiff of Han. "Oh hell, Han!" he exclaimed. "Are you drunk?"

"Drunk? No, not drunk," Han told him unconvincingly. "Not drunk at all."

"I can't believe you!" Luke said as he angrily clipped his lightsaber to his belt. "Do you know how much stress you've put Leia under?"

Han's expression turned stormy. He turned away and fell back down onto the couch.

"Where have you been?" Luke asked.

"Had some things I had to do, okay?" Han told him.

"Things? What sort of things?"

"Business things."

Luke took a step forward so Han would have to look at him. "Don't tell me you're back to smuggling," he said. Han didn't answer, but Luke didn't need him to. "What is wrong with you?" he asked.

"Look Luke, I get that you're trying to help, but I really could do without the lecture right now."

"You need to get your shit together," Luke told him. He pointed a finger at Han's face, but the inebriated man swiped it away. "I'm serious, Han. You have a family now. You can't just leave whenever you want."

Han curled his lips bitterly. "Family," he said. "I've never had that and I never will."

Luke's mouth fell open. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "You have a son!"

"He's Leia's son, not mine," Han said, his voice slurred as he sunk deeper into the cushion. "I never even wanted a kid."

Aghast, Luke could think of no other response than to slap Han across the face. Shocked, Han jumped to his feet. "Hey!" he yelled, no doubt waking the entire apartment. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem? You want to know my problem?" He pushed Han in the chest and sent him crashing down onto the couch. "You're my problem, Han! You're my goddamn problem!"

Han tried to stand up, but Luke thrust his hand out and stopped him with the Force. His eyes widened with fear when he realized he was unable to move, frozen by Luke's inexorable grasp.

"Luke, stop! Let him go!"

Luke turned his head to the left to see Leia had arrived. Ben was cradled in her arms, bawling hysterically at the commotion. Luke remained unfazed, however. He looked back at Han and pinched his fingers together, exerting a tiny bit of pressure on the man's larynx. Unable to breathe, Han made an undignified squawking sound.

"Do right by her," Luke growled. "Or else."

He let the threat linger for a few seconds before lowering his hand. He glared at Han for a moment longer before marching away. Leia called after him, but he ignored her.

"Luke! Luke, where are you going? Luke, come back!"

With an agitated swipe of his hand, Luke opened the front door and left the apartment – the cries of his nephew reverberating in the hall as he stormed away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you clicked on this story expecting Luke/Mara content and instead are leaving it with a crushing sense of depression, I sincerely apologize for that. This dismal chapter is necessary for setting up the later events of the story. Don't fear, next chapter will feature Mara herself. Forewarning: I don't know the first thing about Mara's actual backstory in the Legends material, nor do I really care to learn about it. I've created my own backstory for her which I hope you find more compelling.
> 
> On a separate note, I've never written a story like this before. Romance is always an element in my stories, but it's never been central to the story like it will be in this one. I usually rely on the plot (and plot twists) to drive the story forward, but that's not what I'm doing this time. I'm trying something new and I hope you like it. For those of you who are familiar with my work, I'd appreciate some feedback on the different style.


	2. Crash Landed

Luke's eyes were glazed over as he stared at the mesmerizing expanse of hyperspace out his cockpit window. He had been seated like this for hours on end as he replayed the events of the past few days. Arriving on Tatooine, finding the holocron, disappointing his sister, fighting with Han. Arriving, finding, disappointing, fighting. Tatooine, the holocron, Leia, Han…

He felt as if he no longer had control over himself. The intrinsic darkness within him had erupted to the surface, and he couldn't suppress it like he had before. He was pushing away everyone he loved and becoming a danger to himself and others. It was all because of that holocron! If he hadn't gone to Tatooine, none of this would have happened. If only he could forget what he had learned…

A screen flashed in front of him and roused him from his dreary thoughts. It was Artoo. The droid was trying to get his attention.

"What is it, Artoo?" he asked over the com.

A line of text appeared on the screen: _We're approaching the Yavin system. Leaving hyperspace in thirty seconds._

"Got it," Luke said as he placed his hands on the throttle and prepared to shift to manual control. A few moments passed, and then Luke was seeing the hyperspace fade away as bright blue streaks dominated his field of view. The X-wing lurched forward a bit, and just like that he found himself in empty space with a massive red planet looming in the distance. Orbiting around the gas giant was a little green and blue orb of which Luke had only the fondest memories: Yavin 4.

_We should be arriving at the provided coordinates in approximately ten minutes._

"Thanks, Artoo," Luke said. He was just about to press down on the throttle when a massive tremor ran through the ship. "What was that!?" Looking in his sensors, Luke saw an all too familiar shape on his tail. "TIE fighter!" he exclaimed. When was the last time he had seen one of those? "Initiating evasive maneuvers!"

Luke swerved to the left and avoided a string of green blaster bolts. The TIE went screeching past him when Luke pulled up on the throttle and flipped upside down. The TIE managed to adjust quickly, however, and resumed its pursuit. Whoever was flying that ship was far better than most of the Imperial pilots Luke had fought against during the war.

"Arcanus, I presume," Luke said through gritted teeth as he weaved and dodged out of the way of his foe's fusillade. It seemed his intuition had been proven correct. This had been a trap after all. But so what? For the first time in weeks, Luke felt alive.

With a violent twist of the throttle, Luke sent his X-wing barreling to the right. As he did this, he noticed one of the bulbs on his control panel flashing red. "The fuel tank's been hit!" The gauge started rapidly dropping as more and more fuel leaked out behind him, forming a noxious cloud which, at the very least, made it difficult for the TIE to fire on him. "Hold on, Artoo!" he yelled.

The X-wing plunged downward as Luke looped behind the TIE. He flipped around and opened fire on his unsuspecting foe. Rather than earning a clean hit, however, he only managed to graze one of the TIEs wings before his weapons went offline. "Artoo!" he cried, pressing down on his blasters to no effect. "Shift auxiliary power to the blasters!" His droid demurred, pointing out that he didn't have enough power to make a jump to hyperspace if he did that. "I know! I know! But I can't jump out of here if I'm dead!"

Finally, the astromech did as he said, but by then it was too late. The TIE he had been pursuing managed to escape his scopes and had disappeared. "Where is he? Where –" His X-wing suddenly went into a spiral when another shot landed. Looking out the side window, he saw that his left wing had been blasted clean off. He desperately tried to pull up on the throttle, but the fighter was ignoring his commands. "We're going down!"

The dark green orb of Yavin 4 was rapidly growing in his field of view as he went crashing down to the planet. "The heat shield! Artoo, is the heat shield still up?" Much to his relief, the droid answered in the affirmative. "Okay, we're going to have to land!" His fighter tumbled through the atmosphere while Luke did everything in his power to keep the vessel from spiraling out of control. Disregarding the throttle, he closed his eyes and reached out into the Force to stabilize himself.

_Use the Force, Luke._

"Shut up!" he shrieked. "You lied to me!"

_Let go._

"Never!"

His eyes flew open when the ship came crashing to the ground. Luke's head whipped forward and his visor was dented when it smashed against the throttle. Sparks and dirt went flying past his window as the ship screeched to a halt. The X-wing was at an odd angle as the front of the fighter had been buried in the dirt. Unstrapping himself and removing his helmet, Luke reached up to pop the hatch but found that it wouldn't budge.

"Artoo, I'm stuck!"

The droid didn't respond. It seemed the coms system was down. Luke rolled his eyes and reached for his belt.

"I guess we're handling this the old fashioned way."

Activating the green blade, Luke thrust it up to the ceiling. He grimaced as he struggled to cut through the metal from this awkward position. After a minute, he completed a full circle and the ceiling fell in on him along with a copious amount of dirt. He stood up and cleaned off his flight suit before pulling himself up out of the cockpit. Once he had struggled up to his feet, he took a few steps away and inspected the damage.

"Well there's no way we're salvaging this," he said to himself. Looking around, he saw that he had crash landed in a dense jungle. He could see the sky only because his X-wing had cleared a narrow stretch when it had crashed. As he was considering this small patch of blue, he saw something rapidly approaching.

"You can't be serious," he bemoaned. The TIE had followed him to the surface. Raising his lightsaber, Luke bent his knees and prepared himself. When it was close enough, the TIE opened fire. Luke deflected a few of the bolts and the rest exploded against the ground, taking out trees and causing dirt to fly up. As the TIE flew away, Luke brushed off his shoulder.

The TIE came back into view for another round, but Luke was better prepared this time. "I've got you now," he growled. Before it could open fire, Luke reared back and threw his lightsaber as hard as he could. Guiding the spinning saber with the Force, he sent it slicing through the left wing. A pillar of smoke billowed from the gaping wound and the TIE careened to the right. It passed over his head and went crashing into the jungle a few dozen feet away. Summoning his lightsaber back to his hand, Luke took off running toward the wreckage.

Black smoke clouded his vision as he approached. Luke raised his green blade and persevered, coughing into his sleeve when he inhaled the fumes. He made out the outline of the destroyed TIE and was about to press forward when he stopped. Luke's eyes widened when he saw the pilot staggering out of the cockpit. So they had survived the crash as well.

"Who are you?" Luke asked.

The pilot didn't respond and instead began coughing violently. Bending over, they struggled mightily to remove their helmet. Finally, they managed to pull it off and a great mane of hair came falling out. Was the pilot a woman? Luke couldn't quite tell through the smoke.

"Identify yourself!" he demanded.

The pilot looked up at his voice. Luke squinted in a futile attempt to make out their features. They seemed to be fairly short, but there was something menacing about them regardless. Whoever they were, Luke was fairly sure they were dangerous.

His impression was immediately proven correct when they produced something from their belt and activated it. The blood red blade illuminated the pilot's surroundings, and Luke was able to make out their face for the first time. Although she was covered in soot and grime, Luke could see that she was quite beautiful. Gorgeous, in fact. But where had she gotten that lightsaber?

She limped toward him and Luke backed away. "Hold on!" he said. "Put that away! You're hurt."

The pilot ignored him. Unimpaired by her injured leg, she leapt into the air and plunged her lightsaber down at him. Luke thrust his blade upward and absorbed the blow just in time. He continued to retreat as the woman advanced. Luke parried her strikes, but he found himself distracted as he stared at his enemy's furious eyes. They were a sharp green, not unlike the color of his lightsaber.

"Ow!"

Having lost track of the duel, Luke had allowed the woman's red blade to nick his forearm. The pain caused him to quickly return to reality. This woman was trying to kill him! That ought to be far more salient to him than how attractive she happened to be.

Redoubling his efforts, Luke pressed forward and began his counterattack. His opponent was clearly talented, but the injury rendered her movements slow and her swings unbalanced. She was quickly losing patience, taking greater and greater risks in an attempt to end the fight as quickly as possible. Luke took advantage of her sloppy technique and knocked her blade aside before pushing her away with the Force. Crashing into the base of a tree, the lightsaber fell out of her hand and rolled out of sight.

Luke approached and pointed the tip of his blade at her throat. She rubbed the back of her head and looked up to meet his gaze. There was a tense silence as they sized each other up. Her bright red hair was shrouding her face, making it difficult for him to get a read on her. Blowing out of her mouth, she pushed the strands aside and revealed herself to him. Beneath the grime, he could see that she had very pale skin – the type of skin one got from spending most of their days in space rather than on land. She was sneering at him, a look of utmost disgust simmering in her distinctive eyes.

"Well?" she asked. "Are you going to kill me?"

Luke frowned. "Kill you?" he repeated. "Why would I do that?"

The woman seemed to be confounded by this question. Her sneer faded as she furrowed her brow with confusion. "I'm your enemy," she said finally.

Unnerved by her definitive tone, Luke hesitated. "I don't think you are," he said.

"Oh no?" she asked ominously. "How about now?" She raised her hands and a flash of bright blue lightning crackled from her fingertips. Caught off guard, Luke was unable to deflect the wave and he was thrown off his feet. He experienced an all-too-familiar searing pain, but only for a moment before the onslaught came to a premature halt. It seemed his opponent wasn't strong enough to torture him in the way the Emperor had back on the Death Star.

Luke staggered to his feet and realized that his lightsaber was missing. He looked around for a moment before something crashed into him. The back of his head smashed into a root on the ground and he was temporarily blinded. He felt hands around his neck, the fingernails clawing at his flesh. Acting on instinct, he kicked upward with his foot and found soft flesh. The woman atop him yelped in pain, and Luke quickly regained the initiative. He pushed her off him and pinned her to the ground under his knee.

"Stop fighting!" he yelled. "You're beaten!"

Once again, the woman ignored him. Acting out of pure desperation, she bit at the hand restraining her shoulder. Luke cried out in pain, but refused to relent his grip. Instead, he freed his hand and raised the mechanical one high over his shoulder. He was about to send his fist plunging down to her face when he stopped himself. What was he doing? He couldn't strike her with his mechanical hand. He could kill her!

He then looked down when he felt something wet against his knee. Blood had seeped through the fabric of the woman's flight suit by her injured left leg. Luke must have aggravated the wound when he pressed his knee into her thigh. Feeling horrible about having hurt her so badly, Luke quickly got up to his feet.

"What are you… what are you doing?" the woman panted.

"You're hurt," Luke said. He looked around for a few moments before a flash of metal caught his eye. Extending his hand, he summoned his lightsaber to his hand. "I'm going to help you," he said, looking back down at the woman. "But don't try that lightning thing again. The next time you do it will be your last. Do you understand?"

The woman seethed at him for a second before grimacing in pain. She grabbed at her leg which was rapidly becoming soaked with blood. Satisfied that she wasn't going to attack him again, Luke removed his blaster from its holster and threw the weapon aside. He then undid his belt and kneeled back down.

"Here," he said. "Lift your leg."

The woman threw her head back and let out a muffled scream when she attempted to do so.

"It's okay, you're okay," Luke said through gritted teeth. He fastened the belt around her thigh and tightened it as much as he could. "That should help," he said, looking up. Her eyes were shut tight and she was clearly in a great deal of pain. Luke felt his guilt grow at the sight. He had no doubt made things much worse by pressing down on her wound so violently.

Wanting to alleviate her suffering, Luke closed his eyes and placed his hand on her abdomen. He exhaled and willed her pain to ebb away. He grimaced, his hand serving as a conduit for the pain to leave her body…

"Hey! What the hell?"

Luke opened his eyes and saw that rather than being appreciative of his efforts, the woman seemed to be irate.

"What?" he asked

"Stop touching me!"

Luke looked down and flushed a deep red when he realized how intimately his gesture could have been interpreted. He pulled away as if he had been touching a hot stove.

"I'm sorry," he said hastily. "I didn't –"

"Just shut up, alright? Shut the hell up." The woman covered her face with her hands and rested her head on the ground. Unsure of what to do, Luke remained by her side. He looked away, feeling horribly embarrassed at having touched her like that. What had he been thinking?

"Are you just going to sit there?" the woman asked after a long silence.

"What would you like me to do?"

"I don't know. Just leave me alone, okay?"

"I'm not going to leave you here to die."

"Why the hell not?"

Luke chose to disregard this comment. He stood up and brushed himself off. "I'll be right back," he told her. "I've got a med kit in my ship. Hopefully it didn't get damaged."

When she didn't respond, Luke spun around and hurried away. As he jogged toward his X-wing, Luke looked down at his left hand and shook it out a bit. Taking off his glove, he saw bite marks dotting the flesh between his two knuckles from his thumb to his index finger. She had gotten him really good. It was a lucky thing she hadn't bitten off a finger.

Arriving at the crashed fighter, Luke took a moment to catch his breath. The heat was getting to be unbearable and he was completely drenched in sweat. The bulky flight suit certainly wasn't helping matters either. Unzipping the jacket, he tore it off and threw it aside. Underneath he was wearing a black shirt which clung to his skin uncomfortably. He had forgotten how humid it could get here on Yavin 4.

Rolling up his sleeves, Luke lowered himself down into the cockpit through the hole he had cut out. He crouched down and searched around for the med kit. "There you are," he said, producing a small metal tin. He frowned at it. This wasn't much, but it would have to make do. Before he left, Luke scavenged around for a little while longer before finding a box of ration bars and iodine pills. These would certainly come in handy if they got stranded out here like it seemed they would be.

Throwing his supplies up first, Luke then pulled himself out of the cockpit. When he jumped down to solid ground, he heard a forlorn beep. Luke spun around and gasped.

"Artoo!"

His loyal companion was stuck in the ship, the astromech port having been crushed in the crash.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," Luke said as he climbed back on top of the ship. Activating his lightsaber, he cut out a section of the metal and freed his droid. Artoo activated his thrusters and popped out of the port. "Don't mention it," Luke said when Artoo began thanking him profusely. "Just follow me, alright?"

Luke slid down the X-wing and walked back over toward his supplies. He leaned down to pick them up before glancing back to see that Artoo was following him. "Come on," he said, beckoning the droid with his hand. He led the way back through the jungle and toward the clearing where the TIE had crashed.

The woman was sitting upright when he returned. She had crawled away a few feet and rested her back against a tree trunk. Hearing him approach, she raised her head and gave him a sour look. What was her deal? He was helping her, wasn't he? Why did she seem to hate him so much?

"I got some supplies," he called out.

The woman crossed her arms and looked away. She clearly didn't want to talk. That wasn't going to work for him, however.

"Care to tell me your name?" he asked when he came to a stop by her side and leaned against the tree. "Other than Arcanus, that is," he added.

The woman let out a humorless laugh. "Arcanus," she repeated. "I forgot about that."

"So what is your name?"

The woman looked up at him and frowned. She hesitated, seemingly searching for a reason to lie but not finding any. "Mara," she said finally. "Mara Jade."

"Good to meet you, Mara," Luke said with a smile. "I'm… well, you already know who I am."

Mara clenched her jaw and bowed her head. "That I do," she mumbled.

Luke considered her for a moment before kneeling down. "Why did you want to kill me?" he asked.

"Do," she said.

"Excuse me?"

"I _do_ want to kill you," she said, meeting his gaze with a snarl. "Nothing has changed."

"Oh," Luke said, blinking rapidly as he internalized this. "That's too bad."

Mara stared at him, a look of bewilderment once again etched across her face. She seemed to not be able to understand the concept of forgiveness. She couldn't comprehend why he hadn't killed her already.

"So anyway, I'm sorry to do this, but I need to see your wound," Luke said, brushing off her threat with complete nonchalance. "It could get infected if you don't tend to it."

Mara glanced down at her leg. "I, um… yeah, okay," she said.

Luke smiled again, encouraged that she hadn't shot him down – figuratively rather than literally, that is. He turned around to beckon Artoo forward. "This is my friend, Artoo," he told Mara. "Artoo, could you cut this fabric away? That would be great."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't worry," Luke assured her. "Artoo's good at these kind of things."

Before Mara could protest further, Artoo unfurled his mechanical arm and began cutting away at her pant leg with his circular saw.

"Just stay still," he instructed when Mara startled. "See? He's not hurting you." The droid cut out a square pattern in the nylon and backed away. "Thanks, Artoo," Luke said. He reached out to remove the fabric, but stopped himself when he remembered how vehemently Mara had reacted to him touching her. "Uh, you don't mind if –"

"Just do it," Mara said as she craned her head to the sky. "But don't get handsy like last time."

Luke's face reddened at this. "I didn't –" he began to say before deciding against it. There wasn't much point in explaining himself to her. Shaking his head, he peeled away the blood-stained fabric and threw it aside. Luke then picked up the tin med kit and opened it. "This might sting a bit," Luke said when he produced a vial of hydrogen peroxide. Filling up the pipette with solution, Luke raised it to the wound and dropped the disinfectant onto the wound.

"Kriff!" Mara exclaimed. She bit her tongue and grabbed Luke's free hand. Startled, Luke looked away and accidentally splashed some of the peroxide on her pants. The both of them seemed to be embarrassed, and Mara quickly let him go.

"That, um… that should be good," Luke muttered, returning the pipette to the vial and placing it back in the med kit. "Let me just put some ointment on it."

Mara watched him as he unscrewed the top of a tub of ointment he had used on many occasions to treat blaster wounds. Taking a generous portion onto his finger, he hesitated again before tentatively lathering Mara's leg with the ointment. "How's that?" he asked.

"Better," Mara was willing to admit.

"Good," Luke said, retracting his finger and wiping it clean on his pants. "Now we just need something to cover it with."

"Do you see anything?" Mara asked him.

Luke glanced around as if a bandage would magically appear. "It's okay," he said eventually. "You can use my shirt."

"Say what?"

He pulled his shirt over his head and wrapped it around Mara's leg. It was a relief to be rid of it anyway. The black material only made him feel hotter than he already did. On the flip side, however, all he had underneath was a sleeveless undershirt. He was fine now, but things were going to get awfully cold when nighttime came.

"There," Luke said, standing up to admire his work. "That'll do." He clapped his hands together and looked around at the jungle around them. "So what now?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

Luke returned his attention to his companion. "We're stuck here, it seems," he said. "I doubt either of our ships are going to ever be able to fly again."

"I don't understand. You can just walk out of here. There's bound to be a settlement nearby."

"I can, but you can't," he pointed out.

"So?"

"I'm not leaving you," he said for a second time.

"I just tried to kill you!"

"And?"

Mara shook her head in disbelief. "You Jedi are so weird," she said.

Unsure of how to respond to that, Luke elected to sit down in the dirt next to her. He crossed his legs as if he was going to meditate.

"You're a Force wielder, aren't you?"

Mara gave him a strange look. "What tipped you off?" she asked sardonically.

"So you're a Sith?"

Mara snorted. "A Sith? No."

"Then what?"

"None of your damn business, that's what."

Luke sighed. "Look, if you're not going to talk to me, that's your choice, but we're going to be stuck out here for a while until you can walk, so we might as well make some conversation."

"How long do you plan on waiting?" Mara asked. "Because this isn't just going to heal in a couple of days. You've got about a week's worth of ration bars and no water."

"I'll find water," Luke said. "And besides, I'll help you when you can put weight on your leg. It'll be fine."

"Fine?" she repeated. "There's nothing fine about this."

"Could you look on the bright side here?" Luke requested. "You could have died in that crash."

"I wish I had," Mara said darkly.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad," Luke said in an attempt to infuse some levity into the situation.

Mara tried to give him a dirty look, but her heart didn't seem to be in it. Clearly she was realizing that he wasn't quite the horrible person she had envisaged him to be.

"So are you going to tell me why you tried to kill me?" Luke asked after a moment of silence.

Mara groaned in exasperation. "Take a hint, would you? I don't want to talk about it."

"I feel like I have a right to know, that's all."

Mara pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated by his indefatigable resolve. "You really want to know?" she asked. Turning to him, she pointed a finger at him. "You ruined everything," she said. "Just when things were finally going well for me, you had to show up and take it away."

Luke scratched his temple as he assimilated this accusation. "I'm not sure I understand," he said.

"You wouldn't, would you?"

"No, really. I don't know what you think I did."

Mara growled and dug her fingernails into her uninjured thigh. "You killed the man who saved my life," she said.

"And who would that be?"

"Darth Vader."

In spite of the heat, Luke felt a chill run up his spine at this name. "Vader saved your life?" he asked. "How?"

"Why should you care?"

"I do."

Mara retracted her talons from her thigh and rubbed her eyes wearily. "I don't want to talk about it," she said. "Especially not to you."

Luke allowed this vicious remark linger for a few moments before standing up. Mara followed him with her eyes, she staring up at him while he peered down at her. Hidden beneath the pugnacity, Luke could quite clearly see the hurt in her eyes. She genuinely despised him for what she thought he had done.

"You're wrong," he told her.

Mara arched an eyebrow. "What about?"

"I never did kill Vader."

Mara guffawed at this claim. "You really expect me to believe that?" she asked.

Luke nodded. "I do," he said simply.

"And why is that?"

"Because Vader was my father."

A heavy silence followed this revelation. Mara opened her mouth to dismiss him, but the certainty in his tone compelled her to reconsider. Scrutinizing his expression, Mara's eyes widened when she realized he wasn't lying.

"I'm going to try and find a water source," Luke said, his posture rigid and his voice flat. "Artoo, keep her company, would you?" He then spun around and marched off into the jungle, leaving an astounded Mara in his wake.

Δ Δ Δ

He spent an hour meandering through the jungle in search of water. It turned out there was a little creek just five minutes away from the crash site, but Luke had missed it his first pass through the area. He didn't mind, however. He needed the time to clear his mind.

He was determined to make Mara change her mind about him. Why he cared so much about what she thought of him, Luke wasn't quite sure, but he was dead set on this goal nonetheless. There was something about her that he found alluring, and no, it wasn't just because he found her to be exceptionally beautiful. There was an endearing vulnerability that existed beneath her prickly exterior. She was a bit like his sister in that regard.

It was nearly dark when Luke finally returned to the clearing. He found Mara propped up against the same tree from earlier. She was rubbing her arms together and shivering. Despite only having his undershirt to wear, Luke wasn't feeling the cold as much because he had been moving, but Mara had been sitting here motionless all this time. The jungle could get surprisingly chilly when the sun went down.

"Hey," he called out. Mara was startled, and she spun her head around toward his voice. "I got some water," he told her.

"W-where?" she asked, teeth chattering.

"There's a stream about a half mile away," he said. "I couldn't bring much back, though. I only had the one canteen." He offered it to her and she quickly swiped it from his hands. Unscrewing the top, she drank greedily for a full minute. Lowering it from her chapped lips, Mara wiped her mouth with her sleeve and gave him a sheepish look.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I finished it."

"It's fine," he insisted. "I already had my fill."

Mara nodded and Luke detected a hint of awkwardness from her. Could she possibly be feeling bad about having been so rude to him earlier?

"I never knew Vader had children," Mara said without looking at him.

Luke looked away toward the horizon where he saw the sky turning a dark purple. "Neither did he," he said absently. Bowing his head, he returned his attention to Mara. "I almost killed him, you know," he told her.

Mara looked up sharply to meet his gaze. "You did?" she asked.

Feeling quite weary all of a sudden, Luke pressed his back against the tree and sat down next to Mara. She scooted away an inch, perhaps made uncomfortable by his proximity.

"It was just like how I nearly killed you earlier," he said. He exhaled slowly and craned his head to the sky. "I was this close to doing it, but I stopped myself just in time."

"What do you mean? You didn't almost kill me."

Luke turned to her. He turned a bit pink when he realized how close their faces were. "See this?" he said, raising his right hand.

Mara frowned. "Your hand?"

"Take off the glove."

Mara hesitated before doing as he asked. He felt a little jolt of electricity when their fingers touched.

"It's mechanical," Mara said when she removed the glove. Was that sympathy in her voice? "How did you lose it?' she asked.

Luke chuckled, but there wasn't any humor behind it. "Funny you ask," he said. "Vader did this to me," He flexed his mechanical fingers languidly as he allowed this disturbing information sink in.

"Did he know?" Mara asked.

"Oh yes, he knew."

"Wow," Mara said. "That's…"

"Horrible?" Luke provided when she trailed off.

"Yeah."

"Some father, huh?"

He turned back to her to see her chewing on her lower lip. She seemed to be in a state of disbelief.

"Are you honestly surprised?" he asked. "You know who Vader was, don't you?"

"I… I mean, of course, but I didn't think… I had no idea…"

"He was a bad man," Luke said, but he felt guilty the second he said it. "He was a troubled man," he amended.

"He saved me from the Inquisitors," Mara said.

"He did what?"

"He saved me," she repeated. "They were going to kill me, but Vader intervened. He saved my life."

Luke looked at her while she continued to stare straight ahead with distant, unseeing eyes.

"He saved me too," Luke told her.

They locked eyes when Mara looked back at him. She didn't ask him to explain, and Luke was more than happy to leave his statement unelaborated.

"Are you cold?" he asked after a little while.

Caught off guard by the question, Mara took a moment before answering. "A bit," she admitted.

"There's a gas lamp back in my ship," he told her. "I'll go get it."

Luke didn't leave right away, however. He felt remarkably comfortable exactly where he was. For her part, Mara didn't seem to want him to leave either. They just continued to stare at each other, no longer impaired by the awkwardness from earlier.

The moment was broken when Artoo let out a disgruntled squawk. Swiveling his head to the droid, he gave him a glare for having interrupted. "Oh come on," he said when the droid claimed his circuits were going to freeze over. "It's not that cold."

Mara laughed, and Luke felt his heart skip a beat. Emboldened by this vivacious reaction, Luke turned to give her a smile. She reciprocated before realizing what she was doing and quickly wiping the expression from her face. Luke refused to be disheartened, however. He had clearly made progress with her.

"I'll be right back," he said.

Standing up, Luke hurried off toward his X-wing. He wanted to make this quick so he could return. Mara's laugh was ringing in his ears and Luke couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot. What had gotten into him? Before he had arrived on Yavin, he had been at his absolute lowest point. But now he felt lighter than he had in a long, long time. This woman… there was something incredible about her.

He reached his X-wing and quickly realized a problem. All his emergency survival gear was stored in the compartment below the cockpit. There was no way for him to access it since it was buried in the dirt. But no matter. He could handle this easily.

Raising his hands, Luke latched onto the fighter with the Force. He smiled as he recalled his earlier failure to lift his X-wing out of the swamp on Dagobah. He had no such problems this time around. Whereas then he had felt a crushing despair which had inhibited his powers, Luke now felt a triumphant optimism. He was strong again. When was the last time he had felt like this?

Once he had pulled the X-wing out of its ditch, Luke set it down and lowered his hands. He scampered underneath the creaking vessel and opened up the hatch under the cockpit. He produced a gas lamp along with a crate full of miscellaneous supplies intended to keep crash-landed pilots such as himself alive. Luke turned on the gas lamp and tucked the crate under his opposite arm before making his way back to the clearing. Seeing his discarded flight jacket sprawled out on the ground, Luke stopped to pick it up with his foot and draped it over the crate before continuing onward.

When he returned, he found Mara making conversation with Artoo. He paused to watch. Droids were oftentimes grossly mistreated, so it was always appealing to learn that a person had the decency to treat them like an equal. It seemed Mara had earned yet another check in his book.

"Your droid's running low on power," Mara told him when he approached.

"No worries," he said. "This lamp has an outlet he can plug into."

Mara watched as Luke set the crate down and began searching for a power adapter. "It's getting dark fast," he heard her say.

"It's only going to get colder," he warned. "Here, take this." Picking up the flight jacket, he tossed it to her. "That should help."

"What about you?" she asked. "You've given me all your clothes."

Luke chortled at the image. "I'll make do," he claimed.

Artoo chirped in disagreement and Mara snickered. "He's right," she said. "You'll freeze."

"No, I won't," Luke insisted. He twisted his head back to give her a look. "Believe me, I know a thing or two about freezing to death. This is nothing."

Mara shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said before wrapping the jacket around her shoulders. Luke turned back around and suppressed a shiver. It sure was getting cold.

"Here we go," he said, pulling an orange extension cable out from the crate. "Let's get you charging." Attaching the cord to a power adapter, Luke plugged it into the outlet on the lamp and got back to his feet. Walking over to Artoo, he leaned down and connected the droid to the power source.

"You've got a good one there," Mara said, pointing to Artoo. "Loyal."

"Oh yeah?" Luke asked as he stepped away and sat down. He rested his back against the crate and placed his hands behind his head. "What did he tell you?"

"Only good things," Mara said with a half-smile. "He was quite effusive, really."

Luke flashed his droid a grin. "Artoo, you shouldn't have," he said. If droids could blush, he was sure Artoo would have right then. "So what do you think?" Luke asked, turning back to Mara. "Maybe I don't deserve to die, after all?"

Mara's expression sobered. "I'm sorry," she said. "I misjudged you, Luke."

Luke raised his eyebrows. That was the first time she had called him by his name.

"For what it's worth, I don't think I misjudged you," he said.

"Oh no? And what does that mean?"

"I think you're a good person, Mara," he told her. "I can feel it."

Mara's eyes widened. She quickly looked away, and Luke could tell he had surprised her. It was as if she had never received a compliment before, as hard as that seemed to believe.

The three fell into a long, comfortable silence. Luke sighed as he looked down at his boot tips. His eyes felt drowsy and, despite the chill, he found himself dozing off. It had been a taxing day, emotionally as well as physically.

"Goodnight, Mara," he said, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Luke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it! Mara's full backstory won't be revealed until later (by chapter 4, I think?) but you get a bit of context in this installment. Let me know what you think of her. Is she recognizable to her Legends version?


	3. Arm's Length

Luke woke up that morning to a searing heat on his face. He groaned and covered his eyes with his hands. Only then did he realize something was draped on top of him. Sitting upright with his back pressed against the crate, Luke looked down to see two flight jackets on his chest. He was sweating profusely underneath these makeshift blankets, and Luke quickly tore them off.

"Would you look at that. He lives."

Squinting, Luke craned his head toward the voice above him.

"Mara?" he asked groggily.

She had taken off her puffy flight suit and was wearing a sleeveless top made of black fabric. Her hair was done up in a messy bun and her ivory skin was glistening with sweat. Luke swallowed hard, rendered speechless as he stared at her unabashedly.

Just then, it dawned upon him that Mara was standing. Looking down at her leg, he saw that she had redressed the wound with a proper bandage.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, gesturing to her leg.

"What this? It's a bacta bandage."

"Bacta?" he repeated.

"I found another med kit in the TIE," she explained. "It had a whole bunch of stuff in there."

She limped away and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "Mara, wait!" he said, staggering to his feet. "You shouldn't be walking! That wound –"

"It feels fine," she assured him. Grabbing onto the tree trunk to stabilize herself, she leaned down to scoop up a ration bar from the box. Luke looked away quickly, not wanting to stare. "You want one?" he heard her ask him.

"Um… sure," he said.

She arduously stood back up and hobbled over toward him. "Here," she said, offering one to him. He took it, but rather than unwrapping the bar, he crossed his arms sternly.

"You shouldn't be walking," he insisted. "You're only going to make things worse."

"I got bored," Mara said. "I didn't want to wait for you."

"You could have just woken me."

"It looked like you needed the sleep."

Luke couldn't refute this point. He certainly felt refreshed.

"Okay, but you're not putting any more weight on that leg today," he said.

Mara shrugged as she took a bite of her breakfast. "I wanted to go find that stream you told me about," she said without addressing his request.

Luke gave her an incredulous look. "Did you not hear me?" he asked.

She waved him off. "Calm down, would you? I'm not going to put any weight on it."

"How do you figure that?"

"You'll help me."

Luke blinked a few times as he processed this. The way she had said it – so casually and without any hesitation – made it sound like she considered him as a friend rather than a foe. They sure had come a long way from yesterday evening.

"Right, Luke?" she asked when he didn't respond.

"Yeah, of course," he said hastily.

"Good, because I desperately need to wash up." She then wrinkled her nose and looked him over. "So do you, if you don't mind me saying."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mara chuckled and didn't answer him. While she looked away to sit back down, Luke surreptitiously took a whiff of his armpit. Oh Force! He smelled horrific!

Embarrassed, Luke backed away and crouched down by the crate. He opened the lid and searched around a bit before producing a sealed bar of soap and a tiny bottle of shampoo. That should help, but was there really no deodorant? Apparently that wasn't considered a vital survival tool.

"So listen, I was talking with your droid –"

"Artoo," Luke interrupted. "That's his name."

"Sure. Artoo. Anyway, he took a scan of the area and said there's a major base about a day's walk to the west."

Luke shut the crate and turned around to face her. "No way," he said. "That must be the old Rebel base."

"Didn't the Empire destroy it?" Mara asked.

"They did, but it's been restored by the New Republic," he told her. "It's considered a historical landmark. Besides, it's the only major spaceport in the system. We'll be able to get a ride there."

Mara arched an eyebrow. "We?"

Luke's face reddened when he realized what he had just proposed. "I… well, I just figured –"

"That I didn't have anywhere to go?"

Luke stared down at his still-wrapped ration bar and didn't say anything. He had assumed too much, hadn't he? She probably had a whole life to return to after this. A boyfriend? Yeah, she definitely had a boyfriend.

"Well, you're right."

He looked up sharply.

"I've been trying to track you down for two whole years," she told him. "I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now that I don't have you to obsess over."

She obsessed over him? Women had expressed interest in him before, of course – some had practically thrown themselves at him because of his celebrity – but he had always shied away from the attention. But now, after this woman had confessed her aspirations to kill him, Luke was downright giddy. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Are you going to eat that?"

Luke shook his head and refocused his eyes. Mara seemed to be disappointed with him, and not just because he had yet to touch his breakfast. Had he done something wrong?

"I, um… no, I'm not hungry," he said.

He knew his lie hadn't fooled her, but Mara didn't press him. "Let's get going then, shall we?"

Luke agreed readily. Setting the ration bar aside, he scooped up the soap and shampoo and stuffed it in his pants pocket. Before Mara could stand up, he stepped forward and stopped her.

"No weight on it, okay?" he said.

"Yeah, I got it," she said with a huff.

"Here."

Luke extended his left hand to her. She took it without hesitation and he pulled her to her feet.

"Okay, wrap your arm around me," he told her.

Mara did as he said, and Luke caught his breath when their skin touched. They were very close to each other all of a sudden…

"You ready?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he stammered. Tentatively, he reached around her back and grabbed her opposite shoulder with his mechanical hand. "Sorry, that might be a bit cold," he said, realizing that he wasn't wearing his glove.

"No, it's fine," she said. "Feels kind of nice, actually."

Luke knew what she meant, but he couldn't help but blush. Mara seemed to realize how her statement might have been interpreted, and turned red as well.

"Let's just go," he said.

"Let's," Mara agreed.

They took their first step together, and Mara dug her fingernails painfully into his shoulder. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth.

The going was slow, but they fell into an easy rhythm quite quickly. The sun was bearing down on them mercilessly, however. With their bodies so close, they were soon soaked in sweat.

"It'll be better in the woods," Luke figured. "More shade."

He was right on that account, but their situation hardly improved when they left the clearing. While the shade was certainly welcome, the vein-like patterns of roots and dense foliage on the ground made walking side by side especially difficult. They slowed down considerably, taking exceptional care not to trip up.

"You said this stream was close," Mara grumbled.

"It _is_ close," he told her.

Mara muttered something unintelligible under her breath and they continued on. For all her complaining, Luke suspected Mara wasn't having such a bad time. Indeed, she seemed to be playing up her handicap. After all, she had been walking on her own all morning.

Before Luke could consider the implications of this deduction, he heard the cheerful sound of bubbling water. "See?" he said to Mara. "I told you it was close."

The tree line receded and they found themselves at the bank of a narrow creek. Mossy rocks jutted out of the stream, diverting the water as it rushed by. The verdant green of the surrounding jungle and the bright yellow glow of the sun reflected off the water, causing it to sparkle. A few meters away, Luke noticed a fallen tree which spanned the width of the creek.

"Let's go over there," he suggested with a gesture toward the natural bridge.

Mara didn't offer an objection and he helped steer her toward the right. They walked opposite the direction of the current along the rocky bank. When they reached the fallen tree, Luke retracted his arm from Mara's back.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Luke smiled impishly. "I want to try something," he said. "Take a seat on that rock."

"Why?"

"Just do it. Trust me."

Mara frowned, but once again she conceded to his will. Hopping away on one foot, she carefully spun around and sat down.

"Now what?" she asked.

Luke didn't answer her. Instead, he raised his hand and lifted Mara into the air.

"Luke!" she exclaimed. "Put me down!"

He momentarily lost concentration when he laughed, and Mara dropped a few inches. Returning his focus to the task, he raised his hand higher and began to levitate Mara to the left over the creek.

"Luke!" she cried again, eyes widening when she looked down at the water below.

"Don't worry," he assured her. Arm trembling with exertion, he began to lower her. He had to make a few adjustments, but finally he set her down softly in the middle of the creek atop the log. He exhaled in relief. That could have gone a lot worse had he made a small mistake.

"I can't believe you!" Mara yelled over the sound of the water. He could tell she wasn't really upset with him, however. If anything, she was actually impressed.

Luke held his arms out at his sides to keep balance while he walked onto the bridge. The soggy moss was slippery, so he had to take especial care not to trip. It sure would be embarrassing to fall face first into the water in front of Mara.

"So what do you think?" he asked. "Beautiful, right?"

Mara crossed her arms and blew a strand of hair away from her forehead. "I guess," she said.

Luke lowered himself down and took a seat next to her. "Take your boots off," he said as he untied his own laces.

"What? Why?"

Luke led by example. Removing his dirty boots and socks, he set them down on the log and dipped his feet into the clear water. The grime on his toes washed away and the chill on his feet elicited a sigh of contentment.

"You've got to try this," he said. Turning to her, he saw Mara giving him a dubious look. "What?" he asked.

"You're nothing like I thought you'd be," she said, shaking her head.

Luke chose to interpret this as a compliment. "Here, let me help," he said. Leaning down, he untied the laces to Mara's boot on her injured side. She remained still while he did this, his behavior no doubt continuing to astound.

He struggled for a moment to pull off Mara's boot without hurting her. The awkward angle made it especially difficult. Finally, the boot popped off and fell into the water below with a splash.

"Shit!"

"Luke!"

"I'll get it!"

Without thinking about what he was doing, Luke jumped off the log and into the creek. He only sort of knew how to swim, however, having spent his entire childhood on a desert planet. Panic overtook him, legs flailing as he struggled to keep himself afloat. Water splashed up onto his face and into his mouth, causing him to sputter.

"Luke!"

He grabbed onto a rock and managed to catch his breath. Looking around, he saw the boot being carried away by the current. He was about to take off in pursuit when the boot was suddenly lifted into the air by an invisible force. Stunned, Luke watched it float over his head.

"You're an idiot," he heard Mara say.

"No I'm not!" he insisted, swiveling his head toward her voice. She was trying to give him a stern look, but her mirth undermined the effect.

"Did you forget about the Force?" she asked him.

Luke brushed his sopping wet hair out of his face. "Forgive me for trying to help," he said. Mara smirked and the boot suddenly fell from the sky and hit him on his head. "Ow!" he exclaimed.

"It was very gallant of you, Luke, but you don't need to risk your life for my footwear."

Luke rubbed the top of his head and fished the boot out of the water with his free hand. "It's a very nice boot, though," he pointed out.

Mara rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot," she said again, and Luke smiled broadly at the assessment.

"I guess I am," he agreed.

Δ Δ Δ

After having rinsed themselves off in the stream and drunk as much water as they could, Luke and Mara hobbled back to their camp. The return trip was just as arduous, but far more enjoyable. They were beginning to master their three-legged technique and could move much faster because of it. Besides, both of them smelled much better now.

Conversation flowed easily between them now. They didn't have to make eye contact with one another since they were concentrating on the ground, so perhaps that made things easier. He had been telling Mara a bit about his life back on Tatooine.

"It was hard work, I guess," he told her. "I just felt so trapped, though. I always knew I belonged elsewhere."

"Me too," she said.

"Is that why you appreciate Vader so much?" he asked. "Because he helped you escape?"

Mara took a moment before responding. "In a sense, I suppose," she said. "But I don't think I ever really escaped."

"How do you mean?"

Luke had been eager to ask her about her past, but thus far he had exercised restraint. It was better for her to bring it up on her own.

They collectively stepped over a root, and Mara waited to answer. "I've never really belonged anywhere," she said.

Luke could hear the pain in her voice. The more he learned about Mara, the more he realized she felt aimless, her life devoid of any discernible purpose or mission. Perhaps that was why she had fixated so intently on killing him: His death had given her something to devote herself toward.

"That could change, you know," Luke found himself saying.

They had just arrived in the clearing and Mara turned to look at him for the first time. He summoned the courage to meet her gaze, their faces inches apart. Her eyes were darting back and forth, scrutinizing him for signs of duplicity. There were none to be found, however. Luke meant what he had said.

They both looked away when they heard a familiar whistle. Once again, it seemed Artoo had interrupted an intimate moment between them.

"What is it?" he asked irritably as the droid rolled toward them. Artoo responded with a series of beeps and squawks. "A transmission? From whom?" Artoo shook his domed head and Luke sighed. "Okay, fine," he said. "I'll be right there."

Artoo gave him a knowing look and spun around. He and Mara watched the droid retreat for a few moments, both of them still thinking about what he had just proposed.

"Do you mean it?" Mara finally asked.

Luke returned his eyes to her. "Of course I do," he said. "You could come with me."

"Where to?" she asked.

"Anywhere," Luke said. "I don't belong anywhere either."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," he insisted. "These past two years… I've never felt so alone, Mara. I brought down the Empire, and now I don't know who I am anymore." He swallowed hard but refused to look away. "I think the Force brought us together," he said.

"I think so too," she said softly.

They stared at each other, and Luke found himself lost in her eyes once again. The green color was striking and absolutely mesmerizing…

Mara cleared her throat and Luke snapped out of his paralysis. "You should respond to that transmission," she said, looking away from him.

Luke bit down on his tongue, suddenly fearing that he had been too forward with her. Mara didn't seem like the type to commit to people she barely knew. That said, it didn't feel like they were strangers. Sure, they had only known each other for a day, but he felt so close to her nevertheless.

"Yeah, I should," he muttered. Looking away as well, they resumed trekking forward – their synchronous footsteps much heavier than before.

Arriving at their campsite, Luke helped Mara down to her seat by the base of the tree. Their hands brushed as he stepped away. In spite of the heat, he felt a bit cold now that they were separated. Forcing himself to dispel of these thoughts, he turned around and made his way toward Artoo who was waiting for him beside the crate.

"Alright, Artoo," he said. "Connect us."

The droid activated his projector and for the second time that week, Luke found himself face to face with his sister's blue-tinged hologram.

"Leia," he said with a tone of surprise. "Why are you contacting me?" She knew that he preferred not to be contacted during his missions unless it was absolutely necessary. The odds of the transmission being intercepted was minute, but it was a risk he could do without.

" _You're okay?_ " she asked.

"Of course," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Leia pursed her lips. " _I felt something,_ " she said vaguely.

"Something?"

" _I was scared for you,_ " she said, face pinched with concern. " _It felt just like what happened on Bespin. I thought… I thought you were in danger._ "

Luke shook his head. "No danger," he said with a faux smile to reassure her. "I'm doing just fine."

" _So did you find Arcanus?_ "

Luke glanced back at Mara who was watching this exchange curiously. "Oh yes," he said. "I found her alright."

" _Her?_ "

"So listen, I'll be back home in a few days. Maybe I could introduce you two?"

Both women expressed perplexity at this suggestion. Mara waved her hands while Leia arched an eyebrow skeptically. " _Arcanus wants to meet me?_ " his sister asked.

"I'm sure she does," Luke said, ignoring Mara's protests.

Leia hesitated. " _Well… maybe,_ " she said. " _I was hoping you might come alone, though._ "

"Why? Have things gotten worse?"

Leia shook her head. " _No, not worse,_ " she said. " _It's hard to get much worse than it did that night._ "

"I guess so," Luke agreed.

" _The three of us need to work this out, Luke. Han apologized to me, but he's still furious about the way you treated him._ "

Luke bowed his head. "I understand," he said. "It was wrong of me to do that."

" _I'm not the one you need to tell that to._ "

"I know. I'll make things right with Han, don't worry."

Leia seemed to be far from assured by his confidence, but she didn't express her doubts. Instead she offered a strained smile. " _I'm sorry for contacting you again,_ " she said. " _I know I shouldn't have._ "

"It's fine," Luke insisted. "Listen to the Force, Leia. It won't lie to you." _Unlike me,_ he added to himself silently. Leia hadn't been wrong at all to fear that he was in danger – after all, he had been when Mara tried to kill him. He didn't want to worry her with the details, however. Plus, he didn't want her forming a negative opinion of Mara before they even met.

" _I guess I'll see you soon then,_ " Leia said.

"You sure will. Love you."

" _Love you too._ "

The transmission ended and Luke turned back to Mara. He clapped his hands together, but his smile faltered when he saw her expression.

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"You want to introduce me to your sister? Have you lost your mind?"

Luke frowned as he sat down in the dirt. "I don't see the problem," he said.

"I'm ex-Imperial! She'll hate me!"

"No she won't," he dismissed. "And if she does, I'll put be there to put her in her place."

"Luke, I don't think –"

"I want you to come with me, Mara," Luke said, cutting her off. "Now that's entirely your decision, but if you do choose to come with me, you're going to have to meet my sister. She's the most important person in the whole galaxy to me, you understand?"

His passionate words were met with silence for a few moments as Mara stared at him unblinkingly. "What does it mean for me to come with you, Luke?" she asked finally.

"It means exactly what it sound like," Luke said, confused.

"That's all?"

He was about to answer in the affirmative when he stopped. It suddenly dawned upon him what Mara was asking him. He struggled with the answer for a long while. Two choices presented themselves to him, but he wasn't strong enough to commit to either one of them.

"I don't know," he said.

He knew at once that he had disappointed her. "Okay," she said, her voice husky.

Luke pursed his lips and scratched at his nose. Neither looked at each other as they let the unsaid words hang in the air. After a minute, the silence was finally interrupted by a growling in his stomach. At once, he seized the opportunity to shift subject. "I'm famished," he said. "How about you?"

"Yeah, I guess," she mumbled.

Feeling guilty, Luke clenched his jaw and turned around. Opening the crate, he found a few packets wrapped in a thin foil. He then produced a dented metal bowl and set it down on the ground in front of him.

"Have you ever had these before?" he asked.

Mara shook her head. "Nope," she said with a bitter emphasis on the plosive.

Luke gulped. "Well, it's pretty cool," he said nervously. Tearing open a packet, he poured a fine powder into the bowl. He then picked up the canteen and unscrewed the top. "You just add a bit of water and… voila." He stirred the contents of the bowl with his finger for a few seconds and suddenly a roll of bread was rising before his eyes. "Neat, huh?"

Mara nodded, yet the wonderment he had hoped to inspire wasn't there. "You should eat that," she said in a flat voice. "You didn't have any breakfast."

"Oh, um… yeah. I will." He realized that Mara had known what he was going to do before he had even planned upon doing it. Of course he had been going to offer the bread to her. Mara knew him so well already.

He picked up the roll and took a bite before setting it down on his lap and reaching for another packet. He tore it open and repeated the process. While he did this, Mara began peeling off the bandage.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking up from the bowl.

"This bandage got wet," she said.

"How?"

Mara gave him a look. "You don't remember splashing me?" she asked dryly.

"Oh yeah," he said with a rueful smile. "I forgot I did that."

"Well I didn't," Mara said.

He chuckled, grateful for a restoration of the levity from earlier. Scooping up the second roll of bread from the bowl, he offered it to her. She thanked him and clutched the roll with both hands.

"How's your wound doing?" he asked.

Mara took a bite of bread and chewed for a moment before answering. "Looks good," she said, inspecting her leg.

"May I see?"

Mara nodded and Luke stood up to get a better look. Kneeling down, he saw the gash in her thigh had almost completely sealed itself over with new, pink flesh. There was a great deal of bruising around the area, however, with a dark shade of purple radiating outward from the initial injury. Perhaps that could have been avoided had she not been so active this morning.

"I think that bacta really helped," Luke said. "Do you have any more of those bandages?"

"Right over there," Mara said, pointing to a sleek black box a few feet away in the grass.

"Want me to get you another one?" he asked.

"Later," she said. "It's best to give it some air for now."

"Sounds like you speak from experience," he noted, backing away and sitting back down by the crate.

"Sort of," she said with a shrug. "I've had my fair share of scrapes and bruises, but never anything this bad."

Luke winced. "Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault," she said.

"Yeah, but I did make it worse."

"It's only fair. I tried to kill you, after all."

"Yeah, but –"

"Luke. Shut up."

He conceded to her demand with a grin. Leaning back against the crate behind him, Luke stretched out his legs and took another bite of bread.

"Anyway, growing up on the streets teaches you a thing or two about tending to wounds."

Luke straightened his back and sat upright. "You lived on the streets?" he asked. "When?"

"For the first fourteen years of my life," she told him. "The lower levels of Imperial Center could be a rough place to grow up."

"No kidding," Luke said. "Were you all alone?"

"I ran with crews of other misfits," she said.

"Where were your parents?"

Mara's expression darkened. "Never knew them," she said. "I technically lived in an orphanage, but nobody kept track of anyone in there. You could come and go whenever you pleased."

"That's terrible!"

A blasé Mara glanced down to inspect her fingernails. "Yeah," she said with a sigh. "I guess it was."

"So Vader got you out of there?"

Mara looked up at him. "What?"

"Vader. He helped you?"

Mara stared at him blankly for a few moments. "Oh," she said. "No, I didn't meet Vader until much later."

"So what happened?"

"I got in a bit too deep with a particular job, and I found myself involved with some spice smugglers."

"Spice smugglers?"

"Organized ones, at that. I pissed them off, but luckily there was this woman who recognized my talents and vouched for me."

"You were fourteen?" Luke asked, aghast.

"I think so," Mara said. "I don't really know how old I am, to be honest."

"So who was this woman?"

"Her name was Qi'ra. She worked for this big crime boss named Dryden Vos. I was more than happy to leave Imperial Center, so I went with her and joined Crimson Dawn."

"Crimson Dawn? What's that?"

"One of the largest criminal enterprises in the galaxy. Once you join Crimson Dawn, there's usually no way out."

"So how did you get out?"

Mara hesitated. She seemed to realize that she had spilled a great deal of information to him – information which she clearly had not intended on sharing beforehand.

"Sorry, you don't have to answer that," Luke said, backtracking hastily.

Mara seemed to be appreciative of his restraint. She ran her hands through her damp hair and rested her head against the tree.

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"What's your story?"

"I already told you –"

"I got that bit, but something doesn't makes sense to me. If you're from Tatooine, how come your sister is the Princess of Alderaan?"

Luke snorted. "Funny how that worked out, isn't it?"

"Are you sure you're actually related? You look nothing alike."

"Yeah, we get that a lot. But no, we're definitely related."

"So why were you separated?"

Luke's expression fell. Typically, he would have answered this question with an innocuous shrug and a lopsided smile. After all, the only thing he had known was what Obi-Wan told him: that he and Leia had been separated at birth to protect them from the Emperor. Now he knew much more, however.

"You don't have to answer that."

Luke realized he had been brooding silently for several moments. He looked up at Mara and flashed her an ironic smile. "Thanks," he said. Some things truly were best left unsaid. Obi-Wan had known that very well, hadn't he?

"She really cares about you," Mara said unexpectedly.

"Who? Leia?"

"I've never had someone worry for my safety like that. Well, not until…"

She stopped herself, but Luke knew what she was thinking. "Until now," he said for her. Mara looked up at him and the pair sat in silence for a moment. It suddenly made sense to him why she had changed her mind about him so quickly. In all her life, she had never had someone treat her in the way he had: with care and consideration.

"I need to know what this is, Luke," Mara said.

"What do you mean?"

"You asking me to join you and you… treating me like you have…"

"Like a person?"

"No, Luke," she said. "You haven't just treated me like a person. You've treated me like royalty."

"Well, I do have some experience with royalty," he quipped.

"I need to know what you want from me," Mara said, ignoring his attempt at humor. When he didn't respond, she pressed him further. "Inviting me to meet your sister? Asking me to come along with you? You don't do those type of things unless you want something. So what do you want, Luke? What do you want from me?"

Luke licked his lips anxiously. "Why do I have to want anything from you?" he asked.

Mara seemed to grow angry at this question. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" she asked.

"Of course not."

"I've been manipulated before. All my life, I've been stuck as someone else's pawn." She paused, chin trembling as she pointed a finger at him. "I'm not going to be your pawn, Skywalker."

"I'd never want that," he said at once.

"Then what do you want?" she asked shrilly. "Tell me! What do you want from me?" Her eyes were shining and Luke could tell that she was desperate for the answer. She wasn't going to put up with his games anymore. There were only two possible outcomes here, and they both knew it.

But Luke couldn't answer. Instead, he deflected. "What do you want?" he asked. A flash of disappointment passed Mara's face. They both knew that wasn't the question here, so why had he bothered asking it?

Unable to bear this any longer, Luke stood up. "Luke, don't go," Mara pleaded, but he ignored her. Turning around, he bowed his head and plodded away.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke was seated on his knees with his eyes shut. Goosebumps flared up and down his arms as his body tried in vain to fend off the cold. His mind was far away from this discomfort, however. Floating in the air in front of his face was the holocron, the warm golden light emitted from the device visible to him beneath his eyelids. The recording played over and over while Luke listened passively.

" _It has been four years since that day, and in many ways I'm still not ready to talk about it. I have an obligation to document the events as they happened, however. If the Jedi Order were to ever be restored, we must learn from our mistakes. We must remember our greatest failure. We must prevent anything like this from ever happening again._ "

There was a long pause in the recording as Obi-Wan composed himself.

" _We must never allow someone like Anakin Skywalker to fall to the dark side,_ " he said, voice laced with an anguish he had never known the Jedi Master to be capable of. Not even the destruction of Alderaan had elicited such a reaction.

Luke opened his eyes and deactivated the holocron before Obi-Wan could continue with his speech. He craned his head to the sky, exhaled out of his mouth, and watched as the misty cloud of condensed air drifted away. It was nighttime now. The stars above were twinkling at him with benign cheer, utterly oblivious and indifferent to his turmoil.

Mara wanted to know what he wanted from her. It wasn't the right question to ask, however. What he wanted was irrelevant. Or at least, it ought to be.

But Luke couldn't pretend as if he wasn't experiencing these feelings. All morning, he had been a state of bliss. Mara made him happy. How long had it been since he had felt happiness like this? Better yet, had he _ever_ felt happiness like this?

From what he could tell, a Jedi was never supposed to be happy. They were supposed to be above such emotions and detached from the debilitations of social attachments. A true Jedi Knight was selfless, and as a result he was also loveless. Did Luke really want to be like that? Did he want to be like Obi-Wan?

Of course not! But he also didn't want to be like his father. He now knew that Anakin Skywalker had engaged in this same debate, and he had chosen the wrong path. Luke couldn't replicate his father's fate. He couldn't do that to himself and he absolutely couldn't do that to Mara. If he truly cared about her, he would have to keep her at arm's length.

It wouldn't be easy. For whatever reason, she seemed to be as attracted to him as he was to her. There was a powerful bond between them which could not be ignored. But as long as he made it clear that nothing romantic could happen between them, everything would be fine. Right?

Wrong.

How could he do that to her? How could he ask her to accompany him on his trips across the galaxy yet also pretend like he didn't have feelings for her? He wasn't a stoic! Nor was he a masochist. Such an endeavor would be agonizing for the both of them.

Overcome with frustration, Luke swiped the holocron off the ground and leapt to his feet. He reared his arm back and threw it away as far as he could. Breathing heavily, he stared off into the darkness until he heard a dull thud several dozen meters away.

Before he could consider the implication of this action, Luke spun around and marched away. He had left to meditate and clear his mind, but all he had managed to accomplish was grow more agitated than before. Perhaps he should have taken the advice he had given to Leia a few days ago: If you wanted to relax, meditation wasn't the way to go.

As he trudged back to the campsite, Luke began rubbing his bare arms together. A dark cloud cover had rolled in overhead and the air was far colder than it had been the night before. He could only hope that it wouldn't rain, otherwise he would be completely miserable.

The warm glow of the gas lamp ahead propelled Luke forward. He returned to find Mara curled up by the tree with both jackets tied together by the sleeves on top of her as a blanket. She seemed to be asleep, so Luke did his best to keep quiet. Kneeling down by the lamp, he held his hands out to warm up. It didn't help much. The lamp was designed to provide light, not serve as a heat source.

Shivering, Luke reached for a ration bar and unwrapped it carefully to avoid making too much noise. He hadn't had much to eat over the past two days.

"Luke?"

Having just finished the ration bar, Luke looked up to see Mara had woken up. The light from the lamp was illuminating half of her face while the other half was shrouded in darkness. Her one visible eye glowed as she stared at him from the ground.

"You came back," she said.

"Of course I did."

She blinked a few times before sitting upright. He watched her warily, hoping against hope that she wouldn't bring up their earlier conversation. Despite having thought about it for hours, Luke still didn't have an answer for her. He still had no idea what to do.

"You're cold."

Luke considered denying it, but he realized there was no point. The audible chattering of his teeth would have contradicted any insistence to the contrary.

"Come here."

Luke furrowed his brow at this instruction. "What?"

"Just do it."

He wasn't sure why, but he obliged. Standing up, he walked two paces toward her and sat down with his back pressed against the tree trunk.

"We can share."

Unfolding the makeshift blanket, Mara did her best to cover them both. The jackets themselves didn't do much, but Mara's proximity was more than enough to warm him up.

"Good night, Luke."

Without waiting for a response, Mara closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. Arm pinned, he had no choice but to drape it around her back. It seemed this had been what she wanted him to do, because she nuzzled closer to him with a triumphant smile.

"Good night, Mara," he said with a sigh.

So much for keeping her at arm's length.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter you'll get the rest of Mara's backstory (or what she knows of it, that is). You also get a hint of Luke's internal thought process here, but that will be greatly expanded upon next chapter as well. Hope you enjoy what I've done with these two characters thus far. I've nearly finished the story and there's just the epilogue left to write. I can't wait to share it with you!


	4. Hurt

Luke woke up feeling remarkably at ease. He was warm, but not uncomfortably so like the morning prior. It was as if his body was humming with contentment. He was about to drift back to sleep when he noticed a pressure on his chest. Opening his eyes lazily, he blinked a few times and saw her.

Mara was fast asleep. Her cheek was rested on his chest and her mouth was hanging open. Hair askew, the long red strands cascaded down her back and tickled Luke's arm. Unsure of what to do, Luke merely stared – the comfort he had been experiencing moments ago vanishing as awkwardness took over. Should he move? But what if he woke her? Maybe he should just stay still.

And yet he didn't. He had no idea what compelled him to do it, but Luke carefully moved his left hand from around Mara's back and brushed the hair out of her face. His fingertips gently grazed against her skin and she stirred at his touch. Luke caught his breath. He hadn't woken her, had he? Fortunately, it seemed he hadn't. Mara's eyes remained closed, but she pulled herself closer to him, instinctively seeking out his warmth. The top of her head was now tucked under his chin and her hand was planted on his chest. She flexed her fingers a bit, kneading at the fabric of his shirt.

He was truly trapped now. There was no way he could move without disturbing her. With a sigh, Luke closed his eyes and accepted his fate. He attempted to go back to sleep, but he no longer felt tired. His heart hammered in his chest and perspiration developed on his brow. The debate he had struggled with the afternoon prior returned with a vengeance. Should he push her away? If this morning was any indicator, it seemed like that wouldn't be a possibility. Luke wasn't strong enough to do it. Nor was he cruel enough to hurt her.

But he was going to hurt her. It was only a matter of time before it happened. He would be a fool to think otherwise.

_Who's more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?_

Luke snorted. The old man made a good point. His expression sobered as he considered Obi-Wan. What had the Jedi Master seen in him? Had he seen him as his father's son? Or had he thought Luke could be better than that? He had agreed to train him, after all.

His musings were cut short when Mara yawned. Looking down, he saw that her eyes had opened a fraction. Squinting, she glanced up to meet his gaze.

"Morning," he said.

"Luke? What are you…" she said before stopping. Realizing how close they were, Mara quickly pulled away. He was amused to notice that her cheeks were tinged pink with embarrassment.

"You don't remember last night?" he asked.

She stared at him for a few moments. "That was real?"

Luke frowned. "Um… yeah," he said. Had she thought it was a dream? He had to say, it was quite endearing to learn that Mara could have conceived dreaming up such a scenario.

"I… I'm sorry," she stammered. "I shouldn't have –"

Luke cut her off. "It's fine," he insisted. "And you were right. It was cold last night."

Mara seemed to relax when she wrapped a strand of hair around her ear and looked down. He watched her unblinkingly, waiting for her to speak.

"Did you, um… did you sleep well?" she asked finally.

"Very well," he said. "How about you?"

"Well," she said.

"Well there you have it. Sleeping together was a good idea." The moment he said it, Luke turned a deep shade of scarlet. He and Mara both looked away, the awkwardness so palpable that neither were able to make eye contact. His face felt like it was burning up. Why had he said that?

Unable to bear the tension any longer, Luke pushed away the blanket and got to his feet. He craned his head up and saw a bleak grey sky above. Clearing his throat, he glanced down at Mara. "So, uh… how's your leg doing?" he asked.

Grateful to have something else to focus on, Mara tossed the jackets aside and stretched out her leg. He saw that she had applied a new bacta bandage at some point yesterday afternoon. "It feels sore," she said.

"That's probably just the bacta working," he said, speaking from experience. "Take it off. Let's have a look."

Mara peeled away the bandage. The bruising from yesterday had faded and the wound had sealed over completely with new skin. A thin white scar was all that remained.

"It looks great!" Luke said enthusiastically.

Mara grimaced when she prodded at her leg. "Hurts like hell, though," she said.

"There's probably some pain killers in the med kit," Luke said. "Would you want some?"

She nodded and Luke walked away toward the black tin next to the box of ration bars. Kneeling down, Luke scooped up two bars before opening up the med kit and searching for pain killers. Finding a vial, he stood back up and walked back.

"We've got a bit of water left," he told Mara. "Do you want the rest?"

"What about you?" she asked.

"You need it more than me," he said. She opened her mouth to object, but he stopped her. "Mara. I insist."

She hesitated a moment longer before folding. "Fine," she said.

Luke tossed the vial of pain killers to her and walked away a few steps toward the crate. On top was the gas lamp and next to it, their canteen of water.

"Where's your droid?" he heard Mara ask.

Luke looked up and scanned the clearing. "I don't know," he said, brow furrowed with concern. Where had Artoo gone? "He'll be fine," he determined with a shrug. Turning back, he leaned down to offer the water to Mara.

She thanked him and popped open the vial. Tilting her head back, she drowned down two pills and wiped her mouth. "So what now?" she asked.

Luke unwrapped his ration bar and took a bite before answering. "We should probably start walking toward that base today," he said. "How far did Artoo say it was?"

"Ten miles to the west, I think."

"I'll get us some water before we go. How do you feel about walking?"

Mara gave her leg an unconfident look. "I'll be slow," she said.

"That's alright. We're not in any rush."

"Unless it starts raining."

Luke glanced up at the cloudy sky again. "Good point," he said. They didn't have a tent, but there was a tarp at the bottom of the crate which they could use as a cover. It wasn't optimal, but nothing about their situation was.

The pair finished their ration bars in silence. Once she was done, Mara took one last drink from the canteen and offered it to him. "There's a bit left," she said. "Drink it."

He didn't object. The ration bar had been awfully dry. Accepting the canteen from Mara, he took a deep swig. Only when he finished drinking did he realize that both of their lips had been on the canteen. Why had he thought about that? Now that was all he could focus on! He stared at her, and Mara gave him a strange look.

"You okay?" she asked.

Luke didn't answer right away, fascinated by the redness of her lips. They were glistening a bit from the water she had just drunk, causing them to pop out in relation to her pale face.

"Luke?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," he said a bit too loudly. He looked away quickly and snapped out of his trance. What had gotten into him? There were far more important things to be focusing on right now. Shaking his head, Luke screwed the cap back onto the canteen. "Be right back," he mumbled before spinning around and practically running away.

Mara had an incredible power over him. He couldn't deny that there was a physical component at play. Every time he looked at her, a part of him was too busy marveling at her beauty to think about anything else. Yet that wasn't the full story. Even if he closed his eyes, Luke still felt drawn to her. He suspected she felt the same way about him. It was no accident that Mara had migrated closer to him while they slept last night. There was an indescribable force pulling them together, and Luke feared he wouldn't be strong enough to resist it. Should he even bother trying?

Arriving at the stream, Luke attempted to clear his mind as he filled up the canteen. Dropping in a couple of iodine tablets, Luke closed the canteen and gave it a shake. While he did this, he meandered up the bank toward the fallen tree. He stopped at its base and sighed. What was he going to do?

No answers presented themselves to him. Bowing his head in dejection, Luke turned away from the stream and began trudging back toward the campsite. He took his time, hands stuffed in his pockets as he dragged his feet against the dirt path. When he finally returned, he saw that Artoo had reappeared. The little droid was at Mara's side in the shadow of the tree. He was chirping away about something while Mara considered something in her lap.

"I'm back," he called out, and Mara looked up.

"Where did you get this?" she asked him.

"Get what?"

When he got closer, Luke's heart skipped a beat when he saw her clutching the holocron.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Don't touch that!"

Mara was taken aback by his tone. "Why not?" she asked.

"It's mine! Give it back!"

Mara blinked a few times before conceding to his demand. She handed the holocron to him and Luke swiped it out of her hand.

"How did you find this?" he asked.

"Artoo brought it back," Mara said. "What's the big deal?"

"He shouldn't have done that," Luke growled. Spinning around, he marched toward the crate and tore off the lid. "This is mine," he said, glancing over his shoulder at Mara before cramming the holocron into the crate. "Nobody else can see it. Is that clear?"

Mara tilted her head and gave him a look. Realizing how strongly he had come across, Luke exhaled once and recomposed himself.

"I'm sorry," he said. "This is just… this is personal, okay? It's private."

"Sure," Mara said. "Whatever you say."

Biting down on his tongue, Luke returned his attention to the crate. Reaching into it, he found some rope. He uncoiled it and proceeded to wrap it around the crate.

"Artoo, come over here," he instructed.

The droid rolled forward and Luke walked around him with the end of the rope in hand. He tied it around Artoo's base and double knotted it.

"There," he said. Standing upright, he clapped his hands together and admired his work. "That should hold."

"What's that for?" Mara asked.

"We need these supplies," he told her. "Artoo should be able to drag it for us. What do you think, buddy?"

Artoo whistled his agreement. He was a droid who was always up for a challenge.

"Great," Luke said. "Shall we get going, then?" Mara didn't respond, and he turned to her. "Mara?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, sounding far less enthusiastic than the droid.

"Let me help," he said. Luke extended his hand, but she waved him off.

"I can do it," she said. She grasped the tree behind her and placed all of her weight on her good leg. Once she was standing, she tentatively placed her other foot on the ground. While she did this, Luke noticed a shiny object dangling from her belt.

"Where did you get that?" he asked. It was the lightsaber she had lost a few days earlier during their brief duel.

Mara glanced down at the weapon. "What, this? Artoo found it at the edge of the clearing."

"And he gave it to you?"

Mara placed her hand on her lightsaber and met his gaze. "Do you have a problem with that?" she asked.

Luke hesitated. She had tried to kill him with that blade, after all. "Why don't I hold on to it for you?" he suggested.

Mara narrowed her eyes. "You don't trust me?" she asked.

"Of course I do –"

"There's no reason for me not to have it."

"I was just –"

"It's my lightsaber, Luke. Mine. Got it?"

Luke folded. "You're right, I'm sorry," he said. "I do trust you, Mara."

Mara considered him for a second before nodding. "Good," she said. A beat passed as they both stared at each other. All of a sudden, there was a rift between them. Despite his insistence to the contrary, it was clear that they didn't trust each other fully. The drama with the holocron and the lightsaber had made that abundantly clear.

Luke pushed this thought aside when Mara took her first step. "You can lean on me," he reminded her, but Mara refused his offer.

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. "I can do it myself." She limped forward a few more steps with a deep grimace.

"Mara, come on," he said, following after her slowly. "You need help."

She took one more step before giving up. "Fine," she muttered. Leaning into him, she wrapped her arm around his back and grabbed onto his shoulder. Luke did the same, doing his best not to hurt her with his mechanical fingers.

"You good?" he asked.

"Sure," she said.

Based on her tone, she seemed to be anything but.

Δ Δ Δ

They walked for hours. While it was cooler than it had been yesterday, the humid air was absolutely brutal. He and Mara were both drenched in sweat and were panting with exertion. For the entire duration of their journey, they didn't speak to each other beyond single syllables. Sure, Luke could blame the weather for their lack of conversation, but he knew there was a bit more to it than that. He could tell Mara was upset with him, and to be frank, Luke was a bit upset with himself too. He shouldn't have lashed out at her like he had. Seeing her with that holocron had freaked him out, however.

Occasionally they would stop either to catch their breath or to assist Artoo and the luggage he was carrying over an obtrusive tree root. It was on one such occasion when Luke felt a rain droplet hit him square in the forehead. He craned his head up and looked through the thick foliage to see a rapidly darkening sky. The jungle could protect them from the rain for now, but it wouldn't be able to shield them from a downpour which he feared was coming.

"Let's camp here," he said to Mara who had taken a seat on a mossy log.

"Why?" she asked.

"Storm's coming," he said, laconic in his explanation.

Luke untied Artoo and then opened up the crate to get the tarp. He considered their surroundings for a moment. They had found a circular patch of dirt in the middle of a dense forest. Trees surrounded their campsite, providing the perfect pillars for him to set up their makeshift shelter.

He felt Mara's eyes on him as he unfolded the tarp and got to work. Ignoring her, he climbed atop a rock next to the tree on the east corner of the clearing. Taking the string handle at the corner of the tarp, he tied it around a low-hanging branch. He then proceeded to the south corner and repeated the process. To finish the job, Luke got up on the log Mara was sitting on and secured the tarp on one last branch.

"There," he said, stepping down from the log and looking up at the ceiling he had created for them. It was rippling a bit in the breeze and he could hear a soft pitter-pattering of rain drops against its surface. "How's that?" he asked Mara.

"Do you think it will hold?" she asked.

"It better," he said. From a few feet away, Artoo made a skeptical sound which Luke chose to ignore. Pursing his lips, he looked down at Mara but she didn't make eye contact with him. He opened his mouth, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to say.

A flash of lightning caused the both of them to look up at the sky. A few seconds passed and then an accompanying clap of thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Good call," Mara said.

"Seems like we're here for the long haul," Luke said. "You never know how long these storms can go on for."

Luke paced away a few steps toward the crate. Putting the lid back on, he sat down. He and Mara didn't look at each other and Luke twiddled his thumbs to distract himself from the tension. The noise of rain pelting down on the tarp and of the wind wailing through the trees grew louder, as did the sound of the silence between them.

"Luke?"

He looked up to see Mara holding her lightsaber with both hands. Unsure of what she was doing, Luke merely watched without saying a word. She stared at him intently for a few moments before lowering the lightsaber to the ground and rolling it across the dirt toward him. The hilt came to a stop against his foot and Luke reached down to pick it up.

"I built this," Mara said. Her voice was soft and difficult to hear over the raging storm. "My master taught me how to do it. He was the first person who ever really believed in me."

Luke considered the intricate design of the hilt. It was beautifully crafted. He could tell that the utmost care and even love had gone into its construction.

"Who was your master?" he asked.

"He didn't remember his real name. All his life, he had been called something else."

"And what was that?"

"Maul."

Luke didn't say anything. He wasn't sure why she was telling him this all of a sudden, but he was more than willing to listen.

"You asked me how I got out of Crimson Dawn."

Luke nodded. "I did."

"Maul helped me," Mara said. "He was the man pulling all the strings in the syndicate. Vos was nothing more than his puppet. When Maul heard about me, he took great interest. He figured out I was Force-sensitive and took me as his apprentice."

"Was he a Sith?" Luke asked.

"No," Mara said. "Not quite."

"But he taught you about the dark side?"

"He taught me about the Force," Mara amended. "He didn't speak in terms of dark or light. All I knew was that I felt powerful for the first time. He taught me how to seize control over my own life."

Luke could understand this sentiment. His path to Jedism had also been one of self-empowerment. No doubt for Mara that experience was all the more enriching because of how powerless she had been beforehand.

"I really thought… I thought that Maul cared about me," Mara continued. "He acted like he did, at least. But maybe I just saw what I wanted to see. In truth, he viewed me as a tool and nothing more."

"What happened?"

"Maul used me as an enforcer. Whenever someone in the syndicate stepped out of line, he'd send me to smooth things over."

"Why wouldn't he just do it himself?" Luke asked. Mara must have been no older than a girl by this time.

"He preferred to remain in the shadows. Very few knew he was in charge at all. I was a known entity, however. And I was feared."

"You were? Why?"

Mara's expression turned distant as she stared at the lightsaber in his hands. "He made me do things," she said vaguely.

"What sort of things?"

"Things I didn't want to do. Things like this."

Mara raised a hand and Luke jump back in his seat when she released a pulse of crackling blue electricity toward a pebble a few feet away from her.

Luke looked up at her in horror. "He made you torture people?" he asked.

"I did what was asked of me," Mara said in a flat voice. "I thought I was making him proud, but really I was just doing his dirty work." She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes before continuing. "Despite Maul's best efforts, the syndicate started to break apart. The leaders were terrified of me, but that only made them band together. The few that knew about Maul's involvement decided that they'd had enough and they turned him in to the Empire."

Luke waited as Mara took a moment to recompose herself. Her face was taut and her voice strained. She clearly didn't like talking about this.

"The Inquisitors came to find us. Normally, Maul would have been more than a match for them, but this time the Grand Inquisitor himself came with a half dozen of his minions. We were totally outnumbered. Rather than staying behind to fight, Maul fled the moment he had the chance. He left me to die."

There was a long silence as Mara stared off in space with a bitter expression. She uncurled her fingers which had been balled into fists at her sides.

"It's a good thing the Inquisitors decided to capture me rather than kill me right away. They brought me to a Star Destroyer and tortured me for information about Maul. I didn't have anything to tell them, though. He was my master, but Maul never told me anything about himself. I didn't have a clue where he would have gone to. The Inquisitors realized I was useless and were going to execute me when Vader arrived."

Luke swallowed hard. This had been what he had been wondering about for days: How Vader had saved her.

"I was terrified," Mara admitted. "He showed up in my cell and killed an Inquisitor on the spot. He just raised his hand and strangled her to death right in front of me. He then demanded that I be released and taken to his ship. I had no idea why."

"What did he do with you?" Luke asked, fearing the answer.

"Nothing," Mara said.

"Nothing?"

"He gave me my lightsaber back and told me to follow him. I didn't really have much of a choice, so I did it. When we got to his ship, he didn't speak a word to me. It was bizarre."

"Where did you go?"

"Back to Imperial Center," Mara told him. "When we arrived, he brought me straight to the Emperor."

"The Emperor?" Luke repeated, startled. "What did he want with you?"

"He was curious about Maul," she said. "Turns out he was the one to train him, so he wanted to know what he had been doing with Crimson Dawn. I told him what I could, but again, I didn't really know much. I figured he'd have me killed when he was done questioning me, but he didn't do that. Instead, he gave me a place to stay in his Palace."

"He… what?"

"I didn't know what was happening, but I didn't complain. For about a month I lived there like I was some sort of princess. The Emperor even dispatched a couple of servants to tend to me."

"Why would he do that?"

Mara shrugged. "I wasn't an idiot. I knew he wanted something from me, but I never knew what. What I thought at the time was that he was grooming me to be his next apprentice after Vader. He started training me personally and then he sent me out on missions like Maul used to do. I did well, but I think I fell out of favor with him after a while."

"Why?"

"He stopped paying attention to me after he and Vader became obsessed with someone else."

"Who?"

"You."

Luke blinked a few times in surprise. "Me?" he asked. "What do you –"

"When you blew up the Death Star, the Emperor and Vader wouldn't stop talking about you. They kept calling you the son of Anakin Skywalker or the son of the Chosen One. The Emperor stopped training me and it was like I had been forgotten."

Luke didn't know why he felt the urge to apologize, but he did so. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Mara's mouth twitched in amusement. "Believe me, I didn't care," she said. "If anything, it was a relief. The Emperor had been asking more and more of me, and I was sure that it was only a matter of time before I got killed on one of his missions. Instead, he assigned me as a special agent to one of the Imperial fleets in the Outer Rim. I had important responsibilities, but it wasn't stressful like before. I did my job and I did it well. For the first time, I really felt good about myself. I felt like I was making a difference."

"Until the Empire fell," Luke said.

"Yeah. Until it fell."

"So you decided to take revenge on me."

Mara nodded. "So there you have it," she said. "Now you know the full story."

There was a long silence as Luke allowed this story to sink in. "Why did you tell me all that, Mara?" he asked finally.

Mara took a long while to answer. She bowed her head and rubbed her forehead with the palms of her hands. When she looked up at him, Luke saw a hint of desperation in her eyes. Perhaps she didn't even understand why she had done it.

"You want me to come with you," she said.

"I… I do," Luke said, hesitating only for a second.

"I want to come with you too," Mara said. "But I can't do that if you don't tell me what you want from me. I can't do that if I don't know you're not manipulating me. Can't you understand that, Luke?"

"Of course I can," he said.

Mara leaned forward and clasped her hands together "I need you to trust me," she said. "I need you to open up to me like I just did for you. Tell me the truth. Tell me what you want from me."

Mara had made herself completely vulnerable to him. She had shared everything and Luke had no obligation to do the same in return. It was a testament to how desperately she sought this answer and to how desperately she sought his trust. How could he not give her what she wanted after such a risk?

But Luke didn't have the answer she sought. How could he tell her the truth if he didn't even know what the truth was? So rather than speaking, Luke stood up off the crate and removed the lid. He set Mara's lightsaber aside before pulling out the two jackets and placing them down on the ground. He then unfolded the sleeves to reveal the holocron lying underneath.

Without a word, Luke picked up the holocron and walked over toward Mara. Sitting down by her side, he set the holocron down on the dirt in front of them. He closed his eyes and raised his left hand. The holocron floated into the air and unlocked itself at his command.

"Luke –" Mara began to say, but he cut her off.

"I don't have an answer for you," he said, opening his eyes and turning to look at her. When she met his gaze, their faces were merely inches apart, but neither of them blushed. They were past that.

"Why not?" Mara asked.

Luke considered the hurt in her voice for a moment before looking away. "Just listen," he said.

The voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi emerged from the holocron, his message long-since memorized by Luke who had listened to it dozens of times.

" _It has been four years since that day, and in many ways I'm still not ready to talk about it. I have an obligation to document the events as they happened, however. If the Jedi Order were to ever be restored, we must learn from our mistakes. We must remember our greatest failure. We must prevent anything like this from ever happening again. We must never allow someone like Anakin Skywalker to fall to the dark side._ "

"This is the story of my parents," Luke said during the pause in the recording. "It's a terrible story. One that can never be repeated again."

Before Mara could ask, Obi-Wan's voice returned. " _I first met Anakin when he was nine years old. He and his mother were slaves living on the desert planet of Tatooine._ "

Mara listened with rapt attention while Luke stared blankly at his feet. He allowed Obi-Wan's words to wash over him. He spoke at length about his old master, Qui-Gon Jinn, who had been responsible for finding young Anakin. He then spoke about a young girl who Luke now knew to be his mother.

" _Her name was Padmé,_ " he heard Obi-Wan say. " _I think Anakin loved her from the moment he met her. I didn't give it much thought at the time, but in retrospect we all ought to have done something to stop it._ "

Luke winced and Obi-Wan moved on with his story. He talked about his master's death and about training Anakin in the Jedi Temple. When he arrived at the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan spoke extensively about Anakin's bravery and prodigious skill. Luke could hear a hint of pride in the man's weathered voice. His tone turned grim, however, when he began to speak about the end of the war and the elimination of the Jedi at the hands of Vader and the clones. The pain reached a crescendo when he began sequencing the events that took place on Mustafar.

" _I stowed away on her ship in order to find him. I can't pretend as if I don't have regrets, but I had to do it. Anakin had to be stopped. When I revealed myself to him, he became furious with Padmé. She told him she loved him, but he called her a liar. He began to choke her. He seemed to forget who she even was. She was carrying his children, yet he tried to kill her anyway. I was horrified by what I saw. I knew then that the Anakin I knew was gone forever._ "

Obi-Wan continued talking, but Luke was no longer able to listen. Standing up, he swiped his hand and deactivated the holocron. He paced away a few steps while running his hands through his hair, fingernails clawing at his scalp.

"She died," he said, feeling hollow. "I never even knew who she was until I found this holocron."

"I'm sorry," he heard Mara say.

Luke spun around to face her. "I'm just like him," he said. "I'm not going to repeat his mistakes."

"What are you talking about, Luke? You're not like Vader."

"Aren't I?" he asked, kicking at the dirt with his boot. "I told you, Mara. I nearly killed him on the Death Star."

"So what? You didn't do it, did you?"

"That's beside the point! I nearly did it! And I nearly killed you, too!"

"That's ridiculous," Mara insisted.

"No it isn't! If I had punched you –"

Mara jumped to her feet and grimaced. "But you didn't!" she exclaimed. Luke opened his mouth to retort, but Mara didn't let him. "I knew Vader," she said. "He was... well he was many things, but you're absolutely nothing like him. Vader was like a machine!"

"He didn't used to be like that," Luke pointed out. "You heard what Obi-Wan said about him. He used to be a good person."

"And you think that just because he's your father, you'll end up just like him?" Mara asked. "Bad decisions aren't genetic, Luke."

"No, but darkness is," he said.

"What does that mean?"

"The dark side is strong in my family. My sister and I are both drawn to it. She can't ever be trained because of that. I never should have been trained in the first place. I'm a danger to everyone around me."

"You're not –"

"I am a menace!" he exploded. Startled, Mara backed away and fell down onto the log. He took a step toward her, his shadow subsuming her figure. "You don't know me, Mara," he said. "I've killed millions. Millions! And the galaxy extolls me for it! They call me a hero. I'm not a hero. I'm a murderer! A monster!" Breathing heavily, Luke shut his eyes tight and turned away.

"I don't think you are," Mara's voice said, barely audible over the storm.

Luke laughed humorlessly. "I'm not your hero, Mara," he said. "I'm no one's hero."

"I don't need you to be."

He shook his head. "I won't put you in danger," he said. "If I let you get close to me, you'll only get hurt." The rumbling of thunder sounded in the distance. "Do you understand?" he asked. "Tell me you understand."

It was nearly a full minute before Mara finally responded. "I don't," she said.

Surprised, Luke looked at her over his shoulder. "You don't?"

"I don't think you really believe that."

"You don't, do you?"

"You wouldn't have treated me the way you have if you did."

Luke slashed his hand through the air as he spun back around. "What do you want me to say?" he asked shrilly. "That I have no self-control? That I know I shouldn't, but I can't stop myself from falling in love with you? Is that what you want to hear?"

Mara stared at him in stunned silence. Luke gulped, but there was no way to take his words back now. The secret was out of the bag.

"If that's the truth," Mara said finally.

Of course it was the truth. The both of them knew it. So why didn't he just say it? Why suppress it any longer? He looked down at the holocron in his hands and sighed.

"It's not the truth," he lied. "I'm not in love with you, and I never will be."

Clutching the holocron to his heart, Luke fell to the ground by the crate and covered his eyes with his mechanical hand. A heavy silence lingered as Luke struggled to maintain his composure. He could feel Mara's pain radiating intensely through the Force, waves upon waves of anguish barraging at his conscience.

He had finally done it. He had hurt her. But what he hadn't anticipated was how painful it would be for him as well. That lie had torn him in two.

And for what? Why had he done this to himself? Why had he done this to them?

Why must hurt be the only outcome?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a nice twist on convention to have a woman be the one in pursuit of a reluctant man rather than the other way around. Mara understandably feels very vulnerable – she's never had anyone close to her except Maul to an extent, and he ended up abandoning her. To have Luke reject her like that will therefore be devastating. For the first time, she saw a future for herself with Luke but he took it away just as she was willing to accept it. 
> 
> I'm trying to do a lot with this fic in relatively few words (compared to my other stories, that is). Things might seem to move fast because of that. I'm new to this genre so I'm still learning. Let me know if the evolution of the relationship feels natural or if you think it's too forced. I don't have the patience or wherewithal for a genuine slow burn. Just stop lying to yourself, Luke! Goddamn, you're so frustrating to write.


	5. Alright

Luke was curled up in a ball, shivering fiercely as he struggled to fend off the cold. It was the middle of the night and the storm had yet to relent. Much to his relief, the tarp had held up, but this was the only positive he had to focus on.

He had never before felt so disgusted with himself. Mara had asked him for the truth, and Luke hadn't been brave enough to give it to her. Instead, he had lied in the cruelest possible way. The sting of his words had yet to go away, biting at his core in tandem with the cold. Sleep certainly wasn't going to be an option tonight.

At this thought, Luke sat up with a groan. Rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, Luke looked up to see Mara sleeping by the base of the log. She had both jackets and hadn't bothered offering one to him. Luke hadn't asked. He didn't deserve it.

"I'm sorry," he said. The apology was hollow, meaningless. Two words which would never be heard nor appreciated. Why had he even bothered to say it?

To his left, Luke heard Artoo powering to life. He turned his head toward the noise, perplexed as to what had caused the droid to do this. Artoo typically powered down during the night to prevent his battery from draining.

"Artoo?" he asked, doing his best to keep his voice down for Mara's sake. "What's up?" The droid gave him a whistle and wobbled a bit on his two legs. "Again?" Luke said. He sighed and shook his head. "Hundred credits says it's her." Artoo chirped at him and Luke snorted. "Yes, I know I don't have any credits," he said. "Just connect us."

Luke got to his feet and stepped in front of the projector just as a hologram burst to life.

" _Hey Luke._ "

"Leia," he said dryly. "What a surprise."

" _I know,_ _I'm really making a habit of this._ "

Luke rubbed his arms together and glanced over at Mara who luckily had not been disturbed by this activity. "Just keep your voice down, would you?" Luke requested. "Mara's sleeping."

" _Mara?_ "

Luke bit down on his tongue. "I mean, uh… Arcanus."

Leia smirked. " _So she has a name._ "

"What's this about, Leia?" he asked, swiftly diverting the conversation. "Don't get me wrong, it's lovely to see you, but you know you're not supposed to contact me like this."

" _I'm sorry,_ " she said. Luke gave her a skeptical look." _Really, I am!_ " she insisted. " _It's just… you told me to trust in the Force and that's what I'm doing._ "

"I did tell you that," Luke sighed.

" _I felt it so clearly, Luke. I still feel it._ "

"Feel what?"

" _You're in pain._ "

Luke swallowed hard and looked away. A lie rose to his lips, but he hesitated.

" _Luke, what happened? You clearly haven't been injured._ "

"No."

" _Then what?_ "

"I don't want to talk about it," he snapped.

" _Does this have to do with this Mara person? Did she do something to you?_ "

"No," Luke said strongly. "She is not to blame."

" _Then who is?_ "

Luke rubbed his forehead wearily. "I have it under control," he said.

" _Luke, you can talk to me._ "

"There's nothing to talk about," he insisted. "I'm fine."

" _No you're not._ "

Once again, Luke bit back the instinctual retort to the contrary. "You know what? You are right. I'm not fine. But there's nothing you can do about it, okay? So just back off."

Rather than retreating like he had hoped, Leia gave him a stern look. " _Don't speak to me like that,_ " she said, and Luke looked down in shame.

"Sorry," he muttered.

" _You will return to Chandrila as soon as possible and we will deal with this together,_ " Leia said with the authority of a senator and the consideration of a sister. " _I don't want you to be in pain, Luke._ "

"What about you?" he asked impulsively. "Last I left you, you weren't exactly a shining example of happiness."

" _I never said that I was,_ " she said, frowning.

"Then –"

" _Han and I are working through our troubles like adults,_ " Leia interrupted. " _You should consider doing the same._ "

Luke stared at her as he processed this statement. "Wait, so you've… you've reconciled?" he asked.

" _We're doing better,_ " Leia said mildly.

"I don't understand. You forgave him after what happened?"

" _What about that is so difficult to comprehend?_ "

"I would have thought –"

" _That I'd kick him out of my home? Demand a divorce?_ "

"I, uh… I don't know. Maybe."

" _Well I considered it,_ " Leia said bluntly. " _But that wouldn't have solved anything._ "

"So you forgave him instead? Why?"

" _My son needs his father, Luke._ "

"Maybe so, but –"

" _And I need my partner back,_ " she continued. " _You might not understand it, being a Jedi and all, but Han and I love each other. As long as we're each able to admit our mistakes, we are willing to forgive each other. It's as simple as that._ "

Luke stared at her silently as he absorbed this information. He looked to his right to see Mara still sleeping peacefully a few meters away. "You're right," he said absently. "I didn't understand, but I think I do now."

He knew Leia wouldn't appreciate the meaning of this statement, but it wasn't directed to her anyway. " _Good,_ " he heard her say. " _And don't forget that Han and I love you as well. You are a brother to both of us._ "

Luke turned back to Leia and gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Leia."

Leia returned his smile. " _You feel better,_ " she noted.

"I do," he said. "You've helped a great deal."

" _I'm glad,_ " Leia said. " _But I still want you to come home._ "

"I will," he assured her. "We'll be there as soon as we're able."

" _We?_ "

"I need to get some sleep," he said without elaborating. "It's late here."

" _Oh,_ " Leia said, blinking rapidly. " _I'm sorry._ "

"No," Luke said. "I am." Leia frowned at this, but he didn't give her a chance to ask what he meant. "Good night, Leia. Love you."

" _Love you too, Luke._ "

The projector dimmed and Luke was left gazing at empty space. He took a step toward Artoo and placed a hand on his friend's dome.

"Thank you, Artoo. You can power down now." The droid tilted his cylindrical body to look up at him with his optical sensor. "I'm alright," he assured him when he asked. "You don't have to worry about me." Artoo chirped his response, and Luke chuckled. "That goes both ways, buddy."

He took a step away and the droid obediently powered down. Sparing Artoo one last smile, Luke turned back toward Mara. He swallowed hard as he considered his next course of action. It wasn't going to be easy, but nothing worth fighting for ever was.

Luke shivered when he glanced over at his spot by the crate. The indentation he had left in the dirt didn't look particularly inviting. Besides, it was still cold as hell. He turned back to look at Mara. His hesitation was cut short by a powerful gust of frigid wind which chilled him to the bone. Yep, that was it. She had every right to be upset with him, but he also had a right not to freeze to death. No doubt she would be livid with him in the morning, but Luke would make it up to her.

He tiptoed forward, the sound of his footsteps masked by the heavy rain. Setting himself down a few feet to Mara's right, he rested his back against the log and looked at her. With the utmost care, he reached for the jackets she had wrapped around herself and pulled them toward him. He inched closer, but was careful not to touch her by accident.

There. While he was by no means warm, it was far better than sleeping in the dirt. He considered Mara's face for a long while, his eyes roaming across her features: her thin eyebrows and lashes, her slightly upturned nose, her pink lips. Perhaps it was wrong of him to be staring at her so unabashedly, but Luke didn't have enough self-control to stop himself. That much had been made abundantly clear over the past few days.

"I'm sorry," he said again. This time, however, he meant it. He was willing to back it up now. He was going to do whatever he could to make things right.

Because she was worth it.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke woke up when he felt the jackets get torn off him. Indignant, he groped around for them with his eyes closed. He felt something bony, and suddenly his hand was slapped away painfully.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. Wide awake now, he looked up to his left to see Mara glaring at him with a murderous expression. She had wrapped the jackets around her shoulders with one hand and had the other one raised menacingly.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked.

"With me? What's wrong with you!?"

Mara swung her open hand at his face and hit him so hard he fell to the ground. Her nails scraped his cheek on the way past, drawing up blood. Stunned, Luke held a hand to the left half of his face which was stinging with pain.

"How dare you!" he heard Mara yell.

Luke opened his right eye to see her looming over him. She was standing on both feet, her teeth bared and her fists clenched.

"Don't… don't hurt yourself," Luke said, gesturing to her wrapped leg.

Mara flared her nostrils at this comment. "Don't tell me what to do," she snapped. "Don't pretend like you care."

Luke lowered his hand from his face. While Mara was practically breathing fire, he was doing his best to keep cool. He exhaled slowly and met her furious gaze with the utmost sincerity.

"I do care, Mara," he said. "I lied to you last night. I'm sorry."

Mara didn't seem to know how to react to this apology. Her brow twitched and a flash of surprise passed her face, but her expression quickly hardened. "Where is my lightsaber?" she asked.

"By the crate," Luke said. "You won't need it."

She didn't listen to him, however. Turning around, she marched away toward the crate. Luke pressed his back against the log behind him and sat upright to watch her. Feeling his eyes on her, she stopped to glance back at him. Sneering, she summoned the lightsaber to her hand rather than leaning down to pick it up.

"Mara, please hear me out," he pleaded. Getting to his feet, Luke extended his palms to her. "Last night, I made a horrible mistake."

Mara looked down at her lightsaber. She was clutching the weapon so firmly that her knuckles turned white.

"You said you wanted the truth, and I didn't give it to you," he said, voice cracking with desperation. "Give me a chance to give it to you now."

"The truth?" she asked.

"The truth," he confirmed.

Mara shook her head. "You had your chance. I can't believe anything you say anymore."

Luke took a step toward her, but stopped when she tensed. Clasping his hands together, Luke could think of nothing else to do but fall to his knees by her feet. "Please!" he begged. "Mara, please. Let me prove it to you."

"How?"

"I'll do anything. Anything!"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that."

Luke hesitated as he considered what he could possibly do to demonstrate his honesty. "I… I don't know what I can do," he said. "Tell me! Tell me what to do!"

"What changed?" Mara asked.

"What do you mean?"

Luke gulped when Mara pointed the hilt of her lightsaber at his forehead. "What changed?" she asked again. "What happened to wanting to protect me from yourself, or whatever bullshit you were going on about last night?"

He took his time thinking of the proper explanation. "You were right. I didn't believe any of that."

"Oh yeah?" Mara asked, clearly skeptical.

"I was afraid, that's all."

"Of what?"

Luke couldn't explain. He at once knew he was speaking the truth but had no idea what he was saying. The words came straight from the heart, but not from the brain.

"I know I'm not like my father, but I was afraid I could become him," he said in a moment of clarity. "I… I knew I was capable of it. That's why I was afraid."

Mara considered these words for a long while before lowering the lightsaber to her side. "You're not afraid anymore?" she asked.

"No," he said at once. "I'm not afraid."

"Then prove it."

Luke's face fell in dejection. "Mara, I –"

"Prove it!" she yelled, giving the lightsaber an emphatic flourish. "Nothing happens until you prove it!"

He stared up at her with mouth agape. How could he possibly prove himself? How could he…

A sudden inspiration propelled Luke to his feet. Startled, Mara took a half-step back, but he disregarded her as he hurried toward the crate. She watched with concern as he manically tore off the lid and searched for something.

"Here! Here!"

Holding up the holocron for her to see, Luke gripped it tightly in his mechanical hand.

"I don't need this anymore," he told her. "The past doesn't control me." With this, Luke crushed the holocron in his fist and threw the shards of metal to the ground.

Mara was stunned. She stared at the shattered remains of the holocron before looking up at him. "Luke, I –"

"Do you believe me now?" he asked. "Please tell me you believe me."

"I… I…"

Luke waited for the words to come, but they never did. He couldn't decipher Mara's expression. Was she afraid of him? Because of how violently he had destroyed the holocron? Or perhaps she was afraid of something else…

"Mara," he said, begging her to say something.

"Tell me again," she said.

"Tell you what?"

"The truth."

Luke took a step forward, but Mara didn't retreat. She looked up at him with parted lips. Her vibrant eyes revealed nothing as she waited for him to say something. When he finally did, he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I want you to come with me because I want you to be my partner," he said. "I am falling in love with you, Mara Jade, and I don't want to let you go."

A long silence followed these words. Luke felt himself quivering as he waited for Mara to respond. Why wasn't she saying anything? She was just staring at him, her expression utterly inscrutable. Had he offended her? Surely not. Surely this had been what she wanted to hear.

"Alright," she said finally.

Luke blinked once. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"I'll go with you."

He smiled, but not without an element of confusion. "That… that's great. But what about…?"

"What?"

Luke swallowed hard. "Do you feel the same way?"

Mara narrowed her eyes and scrutinized him for a long while. Finally, she smirked. "Maybe." Luke's mouth fell open when Mara spun away from him. As she walked away toward the log, she resumed speaking. "We shouldn't be far from the space port." She leaned down to pick up the discarded jackets and Luke stared in a state of shock.

"Mara, what –"

"My leg is feeling a lot better this morning," she said, talking over him. "I should be able to walk on it most of the way. It's a good thing the storm ended. We should be able to get there without much difficulty."

Luke looked around and realized for the first time that the torrential rain had come to a stop. The morning was downright tranquil were it not for Luke's state of internal chaos.

"Shouldn't we talk about –"

"You know, I'm actually looking forward to meeting your sister."

"You… you are?"

Mara folded the jackets over her arm and walked back toward him. "Yeah, I am. She seems like an interesting woman."

"Uh… yeah. She sure is."

Mara gave him a little half-smile. "If she's anything like you…" She reached up and brushed her knuckle against his cheek. She lingered over the spot where she had slapped him earlier before lowering her hand. "… I'm sure I'll like her," she said with a wink. Mara then walked past him, and Luke stared off at space feeling absolutely mystified. What was going on? At the very least, Mara no longer seemed to be upset with him. But what about his confession? Why was she acting like she hadn't even heard it?

Luke gently rubbed the spot on his cheek where Mara had touched him. Turning around, he watched her start packing up their campsite. Only when she stood up on a rock to take down the tarp did Luke break out of his state of paralysis and intervene.

"Let me do that," he said. "I don't want you putting any unnecessary strain on your leg."

Mara didn't complain – indeed, she seemed to be quite pleased by his insistence. Stepping off the rock, she made her way toward the crate and pulled out a ration bar. Taking a seat on the ground, she unwrapped the bar and took a bite while she watched him get to work.

"You know, these aren't all that bad," she said.

Luke didn't offer a response. She seemed to be awfully chipper all of a sudden. Mara Jade truly was an enigma to him.

"I thought I'd get sick of them, but I actually don't mind. It's so easy, you know? You just pick up a bar and eat it. There's no thinking about what you want to eat."

Mara continued to prattle on about anything and everything while Luke untied the tarp from the trees. Once he was done, he folded up the tarp and stuffed it into the crate. He then picked up the lid and shared a glance with Artoo. The droid seemed to be just as confounded as he was, his domed head swiveling back and forth between him and the suddenly-loquacious Mara.

"I've never been the cooking type, but there's just something off about food out of a replicator. It just tastes funny. I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy."

Luke sealed up the crate and turned to look at her. She finally stopped talking and Luke saw that her cheeks were tinged pink. Could it be that she was nervous? Maybe she didn't know how to act around him anymore. If that was the case, he needed to find a way to make her feel comfortable again.

"Mara?"

"Hmm?"

"I want you to know that I don't have any… expectations of you," he said. Mara blinked a few times at this statement and Luke took a moment before continuing. "Just because I feel this way doesn't mean you have to as well. I want you to be my partner, but it doesn't have to be… like that, if you don't want. This can be whatever you want it to be."

Mara stared at him, and he could tell he had surprised her. From what little he knew of her, it seemed to him that she had never had this type of control over a relationship. Perhaps the prospect was a bit daunting to her.

"Alright," she said, and Luke felt a twinge of disappointment. Was she going to say that to every one of his grand expressions of sincerity? She smiled at him, demure but with a sparkle of playfulness in her eyes. "Thank you, Luke."

He nodded and decided to drop the subject there. All he needed to do was give her time. After all, they'd only known each other for three days. He knew he was moving fast, but Luke had never felt so sure about something. Intuitively, he knew that Mara felt the same, but she wasn't ready to take the leap of faith like he had. And that was okay. He wasn't going to make her jump. But he would be there to help her when she did.

Δ Δ Δ

The final stretch toward the space port was a difficult one. While the storm had indeed stopped, the ground was waterlogged from all the rain and giant puddles dotted their path. Mara's leg had undeniably improved, but she wasn't quite ready to walk on her own. Or perhaps she was, but didn't feel like it. Either way, Luke ended up helping her most of the way.

Neither spoke much as they were too busy focusing on the ground to engage in conversation, but the silence was pleasant and comfortable whereas the one from the afternoon prior had been rife with tension. Artoo forged the way ahead of them, no longer encumbered by the crate which Luke had boldly decided to leave behind. He figured they wouldn't be needing it anymore, assuming they made it to the space port before dark.

Several hours into the trip, Luke began to fear that he had made a horrible mistake by leaving all of their supplies behind. His anxieties was quickly allayed, however, when the tree line receded and they found themselves in the wake of a tall pyramidal structure. Luke and Mara collectively let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally," Mara said. "I was beginning to think Artoo was lying about this base."

The droid spun around and gave her an indignant squawk. Luke laughed and shook his head.

"Artoo would never lie," he said. 'Withhold the truth? Maybe. But never lie."

Artoo began defending himself, but neither Luke nor Mara were paying attention. They proceeded onward past the droid and toward the bustling space port at the base of the pyramid. The base looked far different than Luke recalled. Whereas it had once been a military installation with X-wings, Y-wings, and other such ships parked out front, it had now been modified into a civilian port and merchant depot. Large, unarmed freighters and piles of cargo dominated the premises, along with dozens upon dozens of people who went to and fro going about their business.

Luke kept his head down as they approached. The last thing he wanted was to get recognized. They needed to find transportation with as little hassle as possible.

"Mara, you're going to have to take the lead on this," he told his companion.

She nodded, understanding the reason for this assignment. "Sure. You and Artoo stay here."

Coming to a stop in the shadow of a boxy cargo ship, Luke released Mara and watched her limp away. Artoo bumped into his leg and made a few sounds in jest.

"Very funny," Luke said, crossing his arms as he kept his eyes on Mara's retreating figure. Artoo whistled a warning, and only then did Luke turn to look at his droid. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Of course I trust her. You don't?" Artoo shook his domed head but didn't elaborate further. "You think she's going to take off without us, don't you? Well, you're wrong. She's coming back."

Artoo gave a single syllable beep: Why?

"Why?" Luke repeated. He considered this question for a moment before smiling. "Because she needs me," he said. His expression slowly turned somber as he considered this assured claim. "She's nervous, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings for me," he mused, no longer speaking to the droid but to himself. "I'm nervous too, if I'm being honest. Neither of us know what we're doing." He paused for a moment before nodding. "But we'll figure it out. I know we will. And when we do, we'll get it right. We're not going to be like Han and Leia. We're going to be better than that."

He heard Artoo chortling at him, and Luke turned to give the droid an amused, if not slightly aggrieved look.

"I don't care how cheesy I sound," he said. "I never thought this would happen to me. I thought after everything I wasn't capable of it anymore. But I was wrong. And boy, am I glad I was wrong."

Luke and Artoo waited in silence from thereon out. Although he didn't have a presence in the Force, Luke could sense his droid's anxiety that Mara would abandon them. Luke knew better, however. Mara wasn't the type to abandon someone. Not after what had happened to her.

He was proven right fifteen minutes later when Mara returned. Artoo chirped in surprise, and Luke smirked at his reaction. He pushed himself away from the side of the cargo ship and walked toward Mara.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Strangely," Mara said.

Luke tilted his head at this response. "What does that mean?"

"Good news, we have a ship. Bad news, I kind of pissed off the pilot."

"How did you manage that?"

"I tried a mind trick on him."

"What? Why would you do that?"

Mara shrugged. "It's worked for me before."

"You shouldn't have done that," Luke said with a disappointed shake of his head. "It's not right to exploit people if you don't have to."

"It didn't work, anyway," Mara said, ignoring the point. "This guy's got a stronger will than I gave him credit for."

"And who is this pilot?"

Right on cue, a lanky gentleman emerged from behind Mara. Luke squinted to get a good look at him in the bright sunlight. He had dark, leathery skin and three white tusks protruding from his jowls on either side of his face. Through his tinted flight goggles, Luke saw the man's beady black eyes widened in disbelief.

"I don't believe it!" he said in a raspy yet high-spirited voice. "This is your friend?"

"Luke, this is Captain Hondo Onakha," Mara said, frowning with disapproval when the captain bowed deeply before him.

"Master Skywalker, it is an honor," Hondo said when he stood back upright and puffed out his chest proudly.

"You don't have to call me that," Luke said.

"But you are a Jedi, no?"

"Er, yeah."

Hondo suddenly gasped. "Ah, yes! Skywalker! I knew one of that name during the Clone Wars."

"You did?"

"Yes, of course!" Hondo said with a flourish of his hand. "Anakin Skywalker. The Hero With No Fear! I met him on many occasions."

"You were friends?"

Hondo hesitated. "Eh… sure," he said. "I mean yes! Absolutely! Hondo was always a friend of the Jedi!" Luke shared a look with Mara. Whereas he was somewhat amused by the captain's grandiloquence, Mara seemed to be far more skeptical. "He was one of your kin, was he not?" Hondo asked, and Luke turned back to meet his gaze.

"He was my father," he told him.

Hondo seemed to appreciate the significance of this. "Ah, I see," he said with a knowing smile. "He never seemed to care much for the rules. An admirable trait, indeed! And glad we are for it, to produce a strapping lad like you! Like father like son, eh?"

Luke began to feel uncomfortable with the comparison. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "Let's get to business, shall we? Mara tells me you can provide us with transportation."

"Why of course," Hondo said. His broad smile faltered when he glanced at Mara. "Your lady friend tried to swindle me out of my ship, but no matter! For you, Luke Skywalker, you may fly free of charge on Hondo's ship!"

"Really?" Luke asked.

"For a war hero such as yourself, Hondo could never ask for your credits!"

"That's awfully generous of you," Luke said.

"That is one of my defining features," Hondo said seriously. "Along with my cunning and my charm."

Luke resisted the urge to chuckle at the irrepressible captain. "What about Mara?" he asked.

"He said he'd give me passage on the condition I join his crew," Mara said, giving Hondo a dirty look.

"This is true," Hondo said with a nod. "And it is only fair after what you tried to pull. I could very well have called security on you!"

Mara was about to fire back a retort, but Luke intervened. "Wait, why would you want Mara to join your crew?" he asked.

Hondo pointed a finger at Mara's nose, but she slapped it away. "This one right here is a thieving snake," he said.

"Am not!" she exclaimed.

"But my dear, you are the perfect candidate for my crew!" Hondo told her with buoyant enthusiasm. "The gall! The mendacity! You have the makings of a true pirate!"

"Who said anything about being a pirate?" Luke asked.

Hondo blinked a few times before realizing his error. "Did I say pirate? I meant to say, er… merchant. Because that is all Hondo is! A publicly-certified and law-abiding merchant. Nothing more!"

Mara rolled her eyes and Luke had to cover his mouth with his hand so as not to laugh at her reaction. He recomposed himself enough to give Hondo a stern look. "Mara's not joining your crew," he said. "She's my partner. We're not separating."

Hondo's brows shot up his forehead. "You must forgive me," he said with hands raised. "I did not know. But I see it now! You are in love, yes? How dear. Hondo once knew love as you did." His eyes glazed over and he let out a saccharine sigh. "Oh to be young again."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mara blush, but he also noticed a hint of a smile creeping on the corner of her lips. He winked at her, and Mara turned redder still.

"So do we have a deal?" he asked Hondo.

The captain gave him a pained look. "You must understand I cannot provide you and your lady this service without remuneration. I am smuggling… I mean _shipping_ a very important cargo, and I must sacrifice room on my ship for you."

"I understand," Luke said. "You will be compensated for this service."

Hondo tapped his spindly fingers together in front of his chin. "If you could provide me with a figure –"

"Eight thousand credits," Luke proposed.

The captain considered this for a moment. "Four thousand per passenger," he said. "That makes it twelve if you include the droid."

"Oh come on," Mara said. "That's ridiculous. You were willing to offer this for free a few minutes ago."

"Mara, it's okay," Luke said. "Twelve thousand is a fair price."

Hondo clapped his hands together. "Right you are, young Skywalker! Hondo is always fair!"

"How is that fair? That's ridiculously expensive! Chandrila's barely a click away from here."

"Don't worry about it," Luke assured her. "The credits aren't important."

Mara frowned. "Maybe not to you," she said.

"Shall we shake?" Hondo asked, electing to ignore Mara.

"Let's," Luke said. Accepting the captain's extended hand, the pair shook on it. "Mara?" he asked when they were done. "Is it a deal?"

"It looks like it already is," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Not until you say so," Luke told her.

He registered a flash of surprise on Mara's face. He hoped she would stop doing that soon. If they were to be equal partners, she first would have to consider herself as one.

"Very well," she said after a moment of deliberation. She begrudgingly offered her hand to Hondo and they shook.

"Excellent!" the captain said. "Now, if you will follow me." He spun around to depart, but Mara and Luke stayed behind for a moment.

"What do you think?" he asked her.

Mara watched Hondo's retreating figure with narrowed eyes. After a few seconds, she turned back to him and shrugged. "He's harmless. I've dealt with smugglers like him before. They'll con you the second they get the chance, but they don't dare messing with authority. He knows who you are and the type of connections you have. We have nothing to worry about."

Luke felt himself smiling at Mara's use of the plural. He suspected she hadn't even realized what she had said. "In that case, shall we?" he said, extending his arm to her. Without a word, she seamlessly melded into his body and grabbed onto his opposite shoulder. They began their three-legged walk in unison, stepping out of the shadows and after their pilot.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke was washing his face in the tiny refresher aboard Hondo's ship. They had jumped into hyperspace a few minutes ago, and they were scheduled to arrive in Chandrila within four hours. Looking up at his reflection in the mirror, Luke saw his haggard appearance. He had coarse stubble along his jawline and heavy bags under his eyes. But despite his outward appearance of exhaustion, Luke had never felt more invigorated about going back to Chandrila.

Splashing one last hand full of water onto his face, Luke turned off the sink and dried himself off with a towel. Exiting the fresher, Luke entered the hall and made his way back toward the quarters Hondo had provided for them. He was careful not to look too closely at the crates of cargo scattered throughout the ship.

When the door to the quarters slid open, Luke was greeted by Artoo from the corner of the room. The droid gestured with his domed head toward the opposite wall where he saw Mara lying on the tiny bunk. She looked up to see him and offered no comparable greeting. Whereas Luke felt quite excited about their circumstances, Mara looked a bit grim.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

Mara pulled her left leg into her chest and stared away at the featureless grey wall in front of her. "Tell me this isn't a mistake," she said.

The door closed behind him when Luke took a step toward her. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

She pressed her forehead against her knee and closed her eyes. "Everything's happening so fast."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Mara looked up at him. "Last night… that was the worst I'd felt since Maul abandoned me to the Inquisitors." She was practically whispering and Luke had to take another step closer to hear. "You hurt me, Luke."

"It will never happen again," he insisted.

"How can I know for sure?"

Luke swallowed hard. "I…" he began to say before stopping himself. He kneeled down by the bed and extended his flesh hand to her. Mara's brow twitched when she looked down at the offering. "Take it," he requested.

Mara did so tentatively. Their fingers touched and Luke clasped her warm hand tightly into his own. "If there's nothing I can do to convince you, then look inside me and find the truth for yourself," he told her. "I'm not lying when I tell you I care about you. I'm not lying about wanting you to be my partner. You can sense that, can't you?"

Mara hesitated. She reached out with her other hand and ran her finger along Luke's knuckles, tracing down the divots and cresting over the peaks. Her eyes darted back and forth as if she was reading. She was searching for anything – an inconsistency, a deception, or a half-truth – but there was nothing to find. He was an open book.

"Alright," Mara said finally.

Luke smiled, by now having realized that this was Mara's way of saying she believed him. He bowed his head and planted a soft kiss on the back of Mara's hand. As he stood up, she craned her head to look at him. They stared at one another – Luke with a grin and Mara with a look of wonderment. It was as if she couldn't quite believe that he was real.

She scooted over and Luke instantly understood the meaning of this gesture. Kicking off his boots, Luke sat down on the bunk by her side. While he propped himself up against the wall, Mara exhibited no discomfort in curling up next to him and resting her head against his chest. She sighed and they both closed their eyes, relishing each other's company as they drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. Was it too easy? Should Mara have been so willing to forgive him, or was that perhaps out of character?


	6. You Were Right

Luke was standing next to Hondo as the ramp unfurled with a creak. He held a hand up when the bright sunlight hit his retinas.

"Where is your lady?" Hondo asked him.

Luke couldn't help but smile when Hondo called Mara that. "She's still sleeping," he said. "I'll wake her when we're ready to go."

The ramp touched down on the landing platform. Through a cloud of exhaust, Luke saw a familiar figure standing below.

"Hey, kid."

"Han."

The two men stared at each other for a few tense moments until Hondo spoke up.

"This is your ride?" he asked him.

Luke nodded. "Thanks for coming, Han."

"No problem."

"Look, I hate to do this, but I promised Hondo here twelve thousand credits for his service, but I don't have any credits on me. I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

Han quirked a brow. "Twelve thousand? That seems… steep."

"It covers two passengers," Luke said.

"Two?" Han asked.

"Three, if you count the droid," Hondo contributed.

"I'll be right back," Luke said, taking a step back into the ship. "Thanks for this, Han." Before Han could object, he spun around and made his way down the hall. Arriving at the guest quarters, Luke knocked once before entering.

Artoo greeted him with a soft beep. Luke acknowledged the droid before looking over at Mara who was fast asleep on the bed. He felt guilty about waking her, but it was time to go.

He walked over toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mara," he said, giving her a gentle shake. "It's time to get up."

She opened her eyes and squinted up at him. "Luke?"

"We landed a few minutes ago," he told her.

She propped herself up against the back wall and rubbed her eyes. "Did I really sleep the whole way?" she asked.

"You needed it."

Mara yawned as she swung her legs off the bed. "Then why am I still so tired?" she asked herself.

Luke smiled. "It's nice to sleep in a real bed for once."

Mara reached down to put on her boots. "Tell me about it," she muttered while tying the laces. "Alright. I'm ready."

Luke offered her his hand and she took it. "How's your leg?" he asked when she placed a bit of weight on it.

"Good," she said. "I'd like to walk out on my own."

"Sure thing," Luke said, but he didn't release her hand. She gave him a look, amused but stern.

"That means no help," she said.

"I'm just being supportive," he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Luke."

"Okay, fine."

Stepping away, he gestured for Artoo to follow them before opening the door. He entered the hallway and turned back to wait for Mara. She still had a limp, but it was less pronounced than it had been the day before.

They made their way aft and toward the exit. As they approached, they saw Hondo walking toward them from the opposite direction. He came to a stop and bowed.

"It seems our business is concluded," he said.

"Han payed you?" Luke asked.

"Begrudgingly," Hondo said with a smile. "If there's anything I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"And if there's anything you can do for me, also do not hesitate!" Hondo added. He let out a boisterous chuckle before passing them toward the cockpit. Luke and Mara watched him depart with quizzical smiles.

"He's quite the character," Mara said.

"You've got that right," Luke agreed. He met her gaze and winked. "Let's get going, shall we?"

They stepped off the ship and onto the ramp. Despite Mara's insistence on not wanting any help, she did reach out and grab onto his shoulder. The decline was no doubt harder on her leg than the flat ground had been. She kept her head down and focused on the treaded ramp, but Luke looked up to see Han watching them with a bemused expression.

"Who's this?" he asked rather bluntly.

They reached the bottom of the ramp and Mara looked up to see Han for the first time. "Han, this is Mara Jade," Luke said. "Mara, this is my brother-in-law, Han Solo."

"Hello," Mara said shyly.

Han crossed his arms in front of his chest and didn't return the greeting. "I wasn't aware you would be bringing company," he said to Luke. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

"You do realize you are a guest in our home, don't you? You can't just bring in whomever you please."

"What's the problem here, Han?"

Han clenched his jaw and glanced at Mara. "I'm not letting a stranger into my home," he said.

"Han –"

"I mean it, Luke. She's not invited."

Aggrieved, Luke stared at Han furiously for a few moments. "Mara, could you give us a moment?" he asked, turning to his partner.

Mara frowned at Han but nodded anyway. "Sure," she said.

Luke stepped forward and steered Han away a few feet. "Mind telling me what's up with you?" he asked once they were out of earshot.

Han slapped Luke's hand away from his shoulder. "I'm not letting some prostitute into my home," he said. "It's not a goddamn brothel, Luke."

Luke was stunned speechless by this spurious comment. "Wow," was all he was able to say.

"And don't think I forgot about what happened last time you were over," Han said, pointing a finger at his chest. "You nearly killed me!"

Luke shook his head and raised his hands. "There are so many things wrong here, I don't even know where to begin."

"Oh yeah? What am I wrong about?"

"First off, Mara isn't a prostitute," Luke said, barely managing to suppress his rage at this accusation.

"Then who the hell is she?"

"She's my friend, okay? Force, Han, who do you think I am?"

Han shrugged. "Look, you're a single guy who shows up with a smokeshow side piece. What am I supposed to think?"

Luke could no longer contain himself. Grabbing Han by the collar, he pulled him down to his face. "Don't you dare call her that," he growled. "You will treat her with respect. And if you don't, I might actually try to kill you this time. Got it?"

He saw the fear in Han's eyes, and Luke instantly regretted being so forceful. Releasing him, Luke took a step back and bit down on his tongue. He had told Leia he was going to apologize to Han when he returned. This certainly hadn't been the way to do it.

"Han, I'm sorry," he said as Han rubbed his neck. "I didn't mean that."

"You know, I didn't use to see it, but I sure can now."

"See what?" Luke asked.

"You and Vader. You're just alike."

Han spun around and marched away. Luke stood motionless as he watched him go, the trenchant words stunning him to the core. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mara walking toward him.

"What happened?" she asked.

Luke sighed. "I messed up."

Δ Δ Δ

The ride to the apartment was a tense one. Han was still livid with him, and Luke didn't bother trying to apologize. Now wasn't the time, especially with Mara there. For now, it was best to let things simmer.

Luke elected to keep his distance. He sat next to Mara in the back seat and made light conversation. They talked a bit about life on Chandrila, but they were really just speaking to fill the air. The tension between him and Han was palpable, and Mara resorted to nervous chatter like she had the morning prior.

Finally, they arrived at the apartment complex where Han and Leia lived. Their chauffeur jumped out of the speeder without a word to either of them. Luke shared an apprehensive look with Mara before exiting as well. Artoo popped out of the back and three of them followed Han into the building toward an elevator. While they waited for the lift to arrive, Han finally spoke.

"I told Leia you made it," he said gruffly. "She should be home soon."

"That's good," Luke said.

Nobody said anything after that and they made the elevator ride in silence. Luke let out a sigh of relief when they arrived on the floor in question and stepped out. Han walked ahead and opened the front door to the apartment with a glance at the retinal scan on the wall.

"Master Han, welcome home," greeted a familiar voice.

Han stepped aside and Luke saw a golden protocol droid waddling toward them.

"Master Luke!" Threepio exclaimed with far greater enthusiasm.

"Hey, Threepio," Luke said. Behind him, he heard a playful chirp.

"Artoo, you've returned as well!" Threepio gushed. "Oh, how delightful!"

"Where's my son?" Han asked, giving Threepio a disapproving scowl.

"Master Ben is in the nursery," Threepio told him. "I can go –"

"Stay with our guests," Han interrupted. He then took off toward the hallway and out of sight. When he was gone, Artoo rolled forward and began beeping and whistling at a mile a minute. While Luke could typically understand the droid, he couldn't hope to keep up like Threepio could.

"Did I miss you? Don't be silly! Of course I didn't miss you. I have been keeping very busy on my own."

Artoo squawked in indignation and Luke chortled. "Come on," he said to Mara. "They have some catching up to do."

As the droids traded insults, Luke led Mara through the living room and toward the kitchenette. He gestured toward the table and Mara didn't waste any time sitting down. Her leg was clearly still bothering her, whether she said so or not. Leaning back in the chair, she glanced around and took in her surroundings.

"It's a nice place," she said. "A bit modest for a senator though, don't you think?"

Luke walked away toward the window on the south end of the room. "Leia's a humble person," he said.

"A princess with humility?" Mara asked skeptically.

Luke laughed. "About some things," he amended. The pair fell into silence as they each peered out the window. It was late in the evening and the sky was beginning to darken as the sun faded. "Do you want something to drink?" Luke asked, turning away from the window.

"Water would be good," Mara said and Luke produced two glasses from the cabinet. "What would really be great is a change of clothes." He glanced back at her and realized how disgusting they both were. They had washed up aboard Hondo's ship, but their clothes were still covered in dirt and grime from the jungle. Han hadn't said anything, but he could be sure Leia would be far from pleased.

Luke returned to the table with two glasses of water in hand. "I'm sure Leia could lend you something to wear," he said.

"Assuming she doesn't hate me," Mara muttered.

"She's not going to hate you."

"Her husband sure wasn't wild about me."

"Han can be a jerk to people he doesn't know," Luke told her. "Leia's not like that. She'll be perfectly hospitable."

Mara clearly didn't believe him, but she didn't say so. Instead, she clutched the glass with both hands and stared at its contents blankly. She was tapping her right foot against the ground rapidly, causing the whole table to shake. Luke smiled subtly. He found it cute how nervous she got about these type of things.

Luke looked away when he heard the front door open, followed thereafter by voices. "Princess Leia," Threepio greeted. "Welcome home."

"Thanks, Threepio. Is Luke here?"

Luke gave Mara a reassuring nod and offered her his hand. Her face was blanched white and her lips were pursed tight with anxiety, but she took his hand anyway. She followed reluctantly, electing to stay a step behind him. Luke wouldn't allow this, however, so he gave her a gentle tug on the arm.

"It'll be fine," he assured her.

Mara gulped in response. Taking a turn in the hallway, they saw Han had beat them to the living room. In his arms was baby Ben who seemed quite excited that his mother was home.

"Hey there," Han said, leaning down to give Leia a kiss on the forehead.

Leia smiled at her son and poked him playfully on the nose with her finger. Looking up, she saw him and Mara standing in the doorway.

"Luke," she said. Her eyes drifted down and Mara quickly released Luke's hand as if she didn't want to be caught. "You must be Mara." Her tone was flat and her expression inscrutable.

"You told her?" Mara asked him.

"I may have mentioned you," he mumbled.

Leia and Han both stared at Mara for a few uncomfortable moments before the former stepped forward. "We should talk," she said. "How about you wait here? I'll be right back."

The two of them stepped aside and Leia walked away down the hallway. Once she was gone, Han eyed them suspiciously before sitting down on the armchair next to the couch. He had a tense expression as he bounced Ben on his knee. Oblivious to the charge in the room, the toddler giggled and reached out to touch Han's face.

"How old is your son?" Mara asked.

Han glanced up at her. "He'll be a year old in a month."

Mara nodded and began tapping her foot against the ground again. Hoping to set her at ease, Luke reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"How about we sit down?" he suggested.

She nodded and the pair walked over toward the couch. Luke sat down on the left next to Han while Mara sat right up against him with their knees and shoulders touching. She was clearly still anxious, but his close proximity certainly helped. Neither knowing what to do, they both defaulted to watching Ben. Despite her discomfort, Mara laughed when Ben grabbed his father's nose.

"Hey," Han said with mock sternness. "That's mine."

The three of them looked up when they heard Leia return. She smiled at Ben before taking a seat on the chair opposite her husband's by the far end of the coffee table. Resting her hands on her knees, she turned her attention to Mara.

"So," she said. "Am I right to assume that you are Arcanus?"

Mara's eyes darted down to her feet. "I'm sorry for lying to you. My real name is Mara Jade."

"Mara Jade," Leia repeated. "And what was it you really wanted from my brother? I'm assuming the bit about the artifact was made up as well?"

Luke winced at the accusatory tone. He opened his mouth to defend Mara, but she spoke before he could. "That was a lie as well," she said, suddenly speaking with great confidence. "It was all a ruse to lure him out."

Leia seemed to be surprised that Mara would admit this so readily. "Why did you want that?" she asked.

Mara answered without any hesitation. "I wanted to kill him."

There was a stunned silence as Leia absorbed this information. Blinking rapidly, she turned to him. "Luke?" she asked.

"It's alright," he attempted to assure her.

"Alright?" she repeated. "Alright? Why the hell is she in my living room if she tried to kill you?"

"Just hear her out, okay," Luke requested. "Mara, go ahead."

"I blamed Luke for derailing my life. For two years, I plotted to get my revenge. But I was mistaken. He proved that by tending to me after I was wounded. I had just tried to kill him, and he took care of me anyway. I've never met…" She trailed off and blushed with embarrassment. "I've never met a person as good and kind as him," she said sheepishly.

While Luke brimmed with delight at this praise, Leia glared at Mara contemptuously. "I don't care how _repentant_ you feel –" she began to say, but Luke cut her off.

"You will not antagonize her for this," he said. "Mara admitted that she made a mistake. That's all that matters."

Leia seemed unable to understand this. "You… forgave her?" she asked.

"I did," Luke said. He glanced at Mara for a moment to see that she was staring steadfastly at the floor. "Do you remember what you told me last night?" he asked, returning his attention to his sister. Leia stared at him blankly, not knowing what he was referencing. "About you and Han?" he elaborated. "About forgiveness?"

Leia's eyes widened with understanding. "You mean to say –"

"Yes."

A beat passed as Leia looked at Mara with heightened interest. Perhaps emboldened by his support, Mara looked up and met Leia's gaze.

"Am I the only one who has no idea what you two are talking about?" Han interjected while the two women stared at one another.

Luke snorted. "It's twin speak," he said. His smile faded and he gave Leia a strong look. "So what do you say?"

"About what?" she asked.

"Can you forgive her like I have?"

"I… I don't know."

"Give her a chance, and you'll change your mind," Luke said confidently. "Mara's a good person. You just need to be willing to see it." Mara turned to look at him and he gave her an encouraging smile.

"You're a Jedi?" Leia asked suddenly.

Mara spun her head to Leia. "Sorry?"

Leia gestured at something. "That's a lightsaber, is it not?"

"It, um… yeah, it is."

"So you're a Jedi?"

Mara hesitated, and Luke decided to intervene. "She's not a Jedi, per se," he said. "She's been trained in the ways of the Force, though."

Leia furrowed her brow in confusion. "So what are you?" she asked Mara.

Once again, Mara was unable to come up with an answer. "It doesn't matter," Luke said on her behalf.

"I say it does," Leia said. "If she's going to stay in my home, I want to know who she is."

"I trust her. Is that not good enough for you?"

"It's our judgement that matters, not yours," Han said harshly. "You really think that just because –"

"Han, stop," Leia interrupted. She lowered her hand and turned back to him. "Of course I trust your judgement, Luke."

"Then what's the problem?"

Leia scratched her nose. "We should talk about this in private," she said. Luke opened his mouth to object, but Leia didn't give him a chance. "How about we go outside. Han, you stay here, okay?"

"Sure thing," Han said.

"Leia –"

"I'm serious, Luke. Come with me."

He sighed. "I guess I'll be right back," he said to Mara. Before he stood up, he patted her on the knee. Leia didn't fail to notice this gesture and she narrowed her eyes curiously. "Well?" he asked her.

Leia stood up and left the room without a word. Following after her, he made his way down the hallway toward the opposite end of the apartment. Stepping through a sliding door, he emerged outside on a small patio.

"Close it behind you," Leia said without looking at him. She was leaning against the railing and rubbing her forehead with her thumb and index finger. The sun had only just dipped beneath the horizon and the typically drab Chandrila sky was illuminated a dull orange hue.

Luke did as she asked and stepped forward. "I know you think I'm being an idiot, but –"

"You're going to get hurt."

He grasped the railing and turned to look at her. "You don't know that," he said.

"Yes, I do. You trust people implicitly. This woman tried to kill you, Luke! Do you honestly believe she's no longer a threat to you? To us?"

"Yes!" he insisted.

"Get your head out of the clouds! You think you're in love with this woman? That's exactly what she wants you to think!"

"Oh, come on!"

"She's manipulating your trust, Luke. How can you not see that?"

Luke gnashed his teeth and looked away. "You don't know her like I do," he said. "She's not dangerous. Not in the slightest!"

Leia scoffed at this. "This is your problem, Luke. You refuse to see people for who they really are."

"Oh, that's rich!" Luke exclaimed. He pushed himself away from the railing and paced away. "This isn't about Mara at all, is it?"

"What are you talking about? Of course it is."

He spun around and pointed a finger at her. "This is about Vader!" he yelled.

Leia blinked rapidly in bewilderment. "What?"

"You just don't get it, do you? You don't understand how I was able to forgive him!"

"Don't change the conversation."

"I was right! You'll never accept that, will you? He killed the Emperor! He saved my life!"

Leia stomped her foot. "That's bullshit!" she exclaimed. "He tortured me, Luke! He tortured hundreds of people and killed thousands more! The man was a maniac!"

"You know what he did? You want to know what _our father_ did? He saved Mara's life! They were going to kill her, and he intervened!"

"He… what?"

"That's who he really was! But you refuse to see it!"

Leia shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. "I don't want to talk about this, Luke," she said, a heavy tone of weariness seeping into her voice. "Not now. Not ever, if I'm being honest, but especially not now. There's so much shit I have to deal with. I'm working my ass off at the Senate and then I have to come home and do everything I can to prevent my marriage from falling apart. All the while, I keep sensing you being in danger or in pain and I'm worried sick that you're going to get yourself in trouble and never come back from one of your stupid missions." Leia bowed her head and took a deep breath to recompose herself. "You're my rock, Luke. Without you, I wouldn't be able to keep my head above water. Can't you see why I'm afraid? This woman is trying to take you away from me!"

Luke waited a long time before answering as he allowed this rant to sink in fully. "You're not afraid of her killing me," he said finally. "You're afraid of her loving me." Leia's face twitched, and at once Luke could tell that he was right. "I love you, Leia, but you can't be the only person I'm allowed to love," he told her.

"I know that," Leia said weakly.

"So give her a chance," he pleaded. "That's all I ask."

Leia sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll try," she said.

Luke smiled wanly and took a step forward. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into his body and rested his chin against the top of her head. Leia didn't resist, more than content to melt into his embrace.

"I love you, Leia," he said again, whispering into her ear. "Nothing will ever change that. I'll always support you, no matter what."

Leia nodded against his chest. "I know," she said.

Basked in the fading afternoon light, the twins hugged each other tightly, neither willing to let the other go.

Δ Δ Δ

The rest of the afternoon was bizarrely pleasant. Han prepared dinner for them and Luke entertained their hosts by recounting his and Mara's experience on Yavin 4. He didn't tell them everything, of course. The more intimate moments between them he kept private, along with the sequence when Mara had tried to kill him.

Mara was largely silent, but the whole time he felt her eyes on him. She barely even ate, utterly enraptured by his storytelling. Leia watched her carefully throughout the course of the meal. He couldn't quite interpret her expression. Was she irritated by how much attention Mara was giving him? Or perhaps she was merely amused. After all, Mara wasn't being especially subtle about it. She was practically glowing with affection for him.

When they were finished, Leia asked Han to put Ben to bed while she cleaned up the dishes. When Han picked up his son and made to depart, Luke stood up as well.

"I'll be right back," he said to Mara. Glancing over to see that Leia's back was facing them, he lowered his voice. "Are you going to be okay with her?"

Mara nodded. "I'll be fine," she insisted.

Pleased, Luke gave her a smile. "Alright. Call for help if you need it." Mara chuckled and Luke spun around to hurry after Han. He figured it was time for the two of them to talk after what had happened earlier that afternoon.

He arrived in the nursery to find Han setting Ben down in his crib. The room was dark save for a little lamp in the corner of the room with a shade which cast shadows of X-wings and other ships along the walls. Oblivious to Luke's presence, Han was singing softly to his son with a warm smile. He didn't recognize the language, but he realized it must have been a Corellian lullaby. Luke watched in awe. Who knew this side to Han existed? Especially after what he had said a few days ago.

"Luke?"

Refocusing his eyes, Luke saw that Han had turned around to see him in the doorway. His expression was uninviting at best. He clearly hadn't forgiven him for earlier.

"I thought we should talk," Luke said quietly so as not to disturb Ben.

Han glanced down into the crib. "I suppose we should," he said.

"Where would you like to go?"

"Here is fine. Voices can be soothing for him as long as you keep it low."

Luke blinked a few times in surprise. He had never seen Han act this paternal before. "Alright then," he said. "I just… I wanted to apologize about earlier." Han didn't say anything and Luke decided to continue. "I don't know what got into me, but I never should have threatened you like I did."

"No, you shouldn't have," Han agreed.

"But that doesn't mean I don't mean what I said," Luke said. "Mara deserves to be treated with respect."

"As does Leia," Han said. Having not expected this swift shift in subject, Luke merely stared at Han blankly. His brother-in-law sighed and leaned against the crib behind him. "I've let her down," he said. "I've let you all down."

"Han –"

"You helped me see how wrong I was," Han said. "Leia had been trying for months, but I never would have understood unless you pushed me. I'm grateful for that."

Luke was caught off guard by this appreciation. If Han wasn't upset at him for that incident, what was he upset about?

"You showed me my place, and now it's my turn to show you yours," he said.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

Han took a step toward him. "You're my friend, Luke. My brother. You are always welcome in my home. But at the same time, I can't let you assume my responsibilities. I am Leia's husband and Ben's father. You are not."

"I know that Han, but you have to admit you weren't fulfilling those roles," Luke said carefully. "Leia asked for me to come back because of that. I didn't want to supplant you, but I had no choice."

Han bowed his head. "You're right," he said. "But if I want to be the man in this family again, I need you to take a step back."

"A step back?"

"That means you stop telling me how to be a better husband and father. That is between Leia and myself. I'm not saying I don't appreciate your advice, but I can't tolerate you threatening me when I make a decision you disagree with. If I make up my mind about something regarding my family, that should be the end of the conversation."

Luke took a moment to consider this request. "So what you said about Mara…?"

"I still mean that, Luke. She can stay here a couple of days, but I won't let her move in with you. That is out of the question."

"I understand," Luke said.

"You do?" Han asked, surprised and perhaps a bit skeptical. He had been preparing for a fight.

"This is your home, not mine," Luke said. "It's probably time I got a place of my own, now that I think about it."

Han looked immensely relieved by this suggestion. "That's a great idea," he said. His expression suddenly turned sly. "So this girl… she really likes you, huh?"

Luke feigned indignation. "Why the tone of surprise?" he asked.

Han snorted. "Honestly kid, I didn't think you had it in you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Han ruffled his hair and didn't answer. He glanced down at Ben one last time before walking toward the door. Luke turned around and followed him into the hallway.

"I'm beat," Han said. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Han made to turn around, but Luke grabbed his arm to stop him. "Han, I'm glad we talked," he said. "This was good."

Han met his earnest gaze and nodded. "Yeah, it was."

They looked at each other for a moment before Luke extended his hand. Han's eyes darted down and a smile emerged on the corner of his lips.

"You're a good kid, Luke," he said. Reaching out, he clasped Luke's hand and gave it a firm shake. "What I said earlier –"

"It's alright," Luke said, already knowing to what he was making reference. "You were right."

Han's expression sobered as he released Luke's hand. Considering him for a moment longer, he turned around and walked away down the hallway. Luke's smile faded as he watched him go.

_You and Vader. You're just alike._

Determined not to dwell on this any further, Luke spun around and marched away. He was heading toward the dining area, but he stopped himself when he heard voices coming from the living room. Taking a left rather than a right, he arrived to find Mara and Leia seated on the couch and armchair, respectively. They were deep in conversation and neither seemed to have noticed his presence.

"You really made this?" Leia said. "It's incredible!"

Luke took a step forward into the room and saw Leia holding Mara's lightsaber with both hands.

"You know, I asked Luke about maybe making one of my own, but he seemed to think it was a bad idea."

"Do you need a lightsaber?" Mara asked.

"I guess not, but it would be cool to have one of my own. Plus, I could threaten Han with it if he ever stepped out of line."

Both women laughed – Leia a little more boisterously than Mara. It was then that Luke decided to reveal himself.

"What's going on?" he asked as he walked forward.

Leia craned her head to see him. "Oh, hey Luke," she said. "Mara let me look at her lightsaber."

Luke gave Mara a look. "Did she now?" he asked with an edge to his voice. Why had she done that? She knew how Luke felt about Leia receiving training.

"There it is. The tone of disapproval."

Luke turned back to his sister. "Disapproval?" he repeated. "I'm not –"

"Don't pretend like I forgot about our conversation," she interrupted. "I still want you to train me."

"I could do it."

The twins both swiveled their heads to Mara. "What?" they asked in unison.

Mara seemed unfazed by their incredulity. "If Leia really wants to be trained, maybe it's best that she received it from someone she isn't related to," she said.

"And you'd be willing to do that?" Leia asked.

"Of course," Mara said.

"Wow, Mara. That's… that's so generous of you."

"Maybe we should talk about this some more," Luke interjected.

"What is there to talk about?" Leia asked him.

"I… I don't think –"

"If Leia wants this, it isn't your place to tell her otherwise," Mara said with surprising sternness. She gave him a pointed look which he wasn't sure how to interpret.

"Mara's right," Leia said. "If she and I are both willing to do this, then we should do it."

"But don't you think –"

"That I have enough on my plate as is? We've been over this, Luke. I don't care about that. I want to do this, and that's that."

Agitated, Luke paced away a few lengths with his hands behind his back. "This is a bad idea," he grumbled.

"Do you not trust us?"

Luke spun around and met Mara's eyes. "This isn't a matter of trust, and you know that," he told her.

"This is entirely a matter of trust," Mara countered. "You don't think Leia is strong enough to resist the dark side and you don't think I am a good enough teacher to steer her away from it."

Luke was rendered speechless by the accusation. "Is that true?" Leia asked while he stared back at Mara. "You think I'd… what? Fall to the dark side? What does that even mean?"

"It means I don't want you becoming like our father," Luke snapped.

Now it was Leia's turn to be stunned. "What did you just say to me?" she asked ominously.

"You're way out of your depths on this, Leia," he told her. "There is an intrinsic darkness within you that you are unaware of. I can sense it, and Mara would be lying to you if she said she couldn't sense it too."

"An intrinsic darkness? What the hell does that mean?"

"It's meaningless," Mara said bitingly. "It's something he made up."

"I didn't make it up!" he exclaimed.

"You don't know the first thing about the dark side," Mara said with resounding calm. "You were trained by Jedi who feared it. I was trained by Darth Sidious himself."

"Darth Sidious?" Leia asked. "Who's that?"

Mara and Luke both hesitated. Neither wanted to answer this question for fear of how Leia might react. Instead, they elected to ignore it.

"You can't teach Leia to resist the dark side if you don't know what it is," Mara told him. "I know the dark side, and therefore I know how to resist it."

"But –"

"So I ask you again. Do you trust me?"

Luke fought against the urge to deflect. He knew this was a crucial question to which Mara needed an answer. "I trust you," he said.

Mara nodded in appreciation. "Then you will allow me to do this."

Luke looked at Leia and deliberated for a long while before folding. "Very well," he said, bowing his head.

Both Mara and Leia expressed surprise at his acquiescence. "Really?" Leia asked.

"Really," he said, struggling to keep the dread out of his voice.

"Thank you, Luke," Mara said. "This is the right choice."

He could only hope she was right.

Δ Δ Δ

Leia stayed up for a while longer as she and Mara talked animatedly about their future training regimen. A moody Luke sat in the opposite armchair and contributed very little to the conversation. He could at least take solace in the fact that Leia didn't have enough time to train extensively. It seemed like all she really wanted to be able to do was get a basic understanding of the Force.

Luke could admit that this was not unwarranted. Like him, Leia was highly attuned to the Force and she was perceptive to even the subtlest of disturbances – especially those which he was responsible for creating – yet she oftentimes had no idea how to decipher the things she sensed.

Leia's excitement waned with the hour, and soon she was yawning. "I guess I should go to bed," she said, rubbing her eyes as she stood up. "I had a long day at the Senate. A long month, really."

"You sure you want to spend your day off with training?" Luke asked tentatively. Leia and Mara both gave him disapproving looks, and Luke held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright," he said.

Leia turned to Mara and gave her a smile. "I'm so excited," she said. Luke had scarcely ever heard her sound so buoyant. "I'll see you in the morning, then?"

"You sure will," Mara said.

"You want me to get you a blanket?" Leia asked.

Mara frowned. "What for?"

"You're going to be sleeping here, aren't you?"

"No, that's alright," Mara said. "I'll sleep with Luke."

Leia stiffened at this casual delivery. "You… you will?" she asked.

Mortified, Mara flushed red and looked to him for help. They had both gotten so used to sleeping next to each other that neither had even considered an alternative.

"It's alright, Leia," Luke said. He wasn't sure what else to say, so he merely smiled. "Goodnight," he added.

Leia blinked a few times before responding. "Goodnight," she said woodenly before turning to depart.

Once she was gone, Luke released the snicker he had been holding in. "Did you see her face?" he said in a whisper.

"That was so embarrassing," Mara said, pressing her palms to her temples.

Luke reached out and placed a hand on her wrist. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he told her.

"I know, but I just… I was trying so hard to get her to like me. I feel like I just messed everything up."

"She _does_ like you," Luke insisted. "You saw how excited she was."

Mara turned to look at him and her expression turned serious. "I'm sorry for going behind your back like that," she said. "I only did it because I knew you wouldn't agree."

Luke sighed. "You're right," he said. "But still… I don't think this is a good idea."

Mara surprised him when she touched his knee. "You're afraid," she said.

"Can you blame me?"

"You think she'll end up like Vader."

"It's not that. I mean, not exactly. She just… she doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

Mara tilted her head as she thought about this. "You know… it's not the worst thing in the galaxy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Being like Vader."

Luke wasn't sure he understood what she meant. "You're saying that being like Vader… isn't a bad thing?" he asked.

"I'm not saying that," Mara said hastily when she saw his expression. "But I knew Vader. Better than… well I guess no one knew him really, but I was about as close as you could get to the man."

Interest piqued, Luke leaned forward. "You were?"

"The Emperor asked him to train me in lightsaber combat when I was at the Palace. He didn't go easy on me, but I learned a lot from him." She paused and her expression turned distant. "He was almost… kind to me."

"Kind?" Luke echoed.

"I think he wore more than one kind of mask," Mara said, speaking more to herself than to him. "He kept up appearances whenever he was in public, but when it was just us… he was different. He was human."

Luke sat back in his chair as he was struck with a sudden pang of sorrow. "I wish I could have met that man," he said softly.

The couple sat in contemplative silence for a long while after that remark. Luke stared sightlessly at the floor as he thought back to his father's first and final words to him as Anakin Skywalker.

_You were right about me. Tell your sister… you were right._

Luke stood up abruptly. "Come on," he said. "Let's go to bed." He extended his hand to Mara and she turned a bit pink at the offer. Luke smiled at her and Mara only hesitated for a moment longer before taking her partner's hand.


	7. What Was and What Will Be

He and Mara stayed up late that night since they were still adjusted to Yavin time. After having each taken much-needed showers, they finally got to change out of the clothing they had been wearing for four days straight. Luke offered Mara a shirt and pair of sweat pants which were far too large for her. She didn't seem to mind, and Luke found it adorable.

The couple lied in bed and stared at the ceiling while they talked for hours. They assumed their classic position with Mara curled up against him while Luke draped a hand around her shoulder. He absently traced circular patterns on Mara's back as he told her all about his conversation with Han.

"I can't believe you Force choked him," Mara whispered once he had finished with his story.

Luke turned to look at her with a frown. "That's what you take away from this?"

"Well no, but it certainly caught my attention," she said with a little smirk.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

Mara's eyes glinted mischievously. "You've got a dangerous streak," she told him.

"Yeah, and that's not a good thing," Luke insisted.

Mara shrugged. "Maybe not," she said. She then leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "It's kind of sexy, though."

Luke gulped audibly. The warmth of Mara's breath against his skin made his face feel very hot all of a sudden. She pulled away, and it seemed she too had been surprised to hear herself say that. Blushing, she gave him a demure smile which contrasted with the salacious comment.

"Well, um… the point is I'm going to stop doing things like that," he said upon clearing his throat.

"Right," Mara said quickly. "Sure."

They both calmed down after this exchange, but there was an underlying tension which neither were bold enough to address. An hour later, the conversation came to a natural end and they both began to drift off to sleep. Mara was out in a matter of minutes, but Luke stayed awake a while longer. He watched Mara's face and marveled at how quickly things had changed over the past few days. When he had first met her, she had despised him with every ounce of her being. But now here she was sleeping by his side, utterly and completely comfortable in his presence.

Luke didn't know the first thing about romance. His only reference point was Leia and Han, and their trajectory couldn't be any more different than his and Mara's. They had known each other for years before falling for each other. He had always figured that if he was to ever fall in love, it would evolve like that: slowly and carefully. But there was nothing slow nor careful about this. Instead, it was abrupt and reckless.

Was this how his parents had fallen in love? All he knew about their relationship came from that holocron, and Obi-Wan hadn't exactly been descriptive. It sounded as if the Jedi Master had been humiliated about the whole affair and had done anything in his power to feign ignorance. Obi-Wan surely would tell Luke that he was making a horrible mistake like his father had done. But Luke didn't want Obi-Wan's advice anymore. He had lied to him about his parentage and attempted to coerce him into killing his own father. No, the Jedi were no longer the absolute authority in Luke's mind.

But if not them, whom? He needed some kind of guidance on how to handle this, and love them as he may, Luke didn't trust Leia and Han with relationship advice. They were the only two people close to him, however, and Mara certainly didn't have anyone who could help her navigate this either. It seemed like they would have to make do on their own even though neither of them had any experience whatsoever.

These thoughts drifted around his head for what felt like hours. He must have fallen asleep at some point, however, because suddenly he found himself awoken when the sheets were torn off violently.

"Wake up, would you?"

Luke opened his eyes a fraction to see Leia standing at the foot of the bed with his blankets in hand.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Give those back!"

"I've been waiting for hours," Leia complained. "Would you two lovebirds get up? It's almost noon."

A humiliated Mara disentangled herself from Luke and hid her face in the pillow. Aggrieved on her behalf, Luke sat upright and pointed a finger at his sister. "Boundaries, Leia!"

"In case you forgot, this is my apartment," she shot back. Sparing one last glance toward Mara, Leia rolled her eyes and dropped the blankets. "I'll be back in five minutes if I don't hear movement," she threatened. With that, she spun around on her heel and marched out of the room.

Once she was gone, Mara looked up cautiously. "Is she always so…"

"Bossy?" Luke provided. "Yeah, she can be."

Mara sat uptight and crossed her legs underneath her. "She's not angry at me, is she?"

"For what?"

Mara didn't answer, but Luke didn't need her to. He knew what she was thinking.

"She'll get over it," Luke told her. "I think she's just surprised, that's all."

"So am I," Mara said absently.

Luke smiled at her honesty, inadvertent or not. Feeling a sudden surge of confidence, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. Startled, Mara's eyes widened comedically when he pulled away.

"I'm surprised too," he told her. "But more than that, I'm happy."

He meant it. Luke had never felt so unequivocally happy to be with another person. While he may still have his fears and anxieties, they were minuscule in comparison to the rush he felt from being alone with her.

Slipping out of bed, Luke left a stunned Mara behind him as he made his way toward the dresser. Rustling through the drawers, he picked out a long-sleeved grey shirt and some black pants. Draping the clothes over his arm, Luke turned around. "I'll ask Leia if she has anything for you to wear," he told Mara. "Be right back."

He felt her eyes on him as he walked toward the door and left the bedroom. His bare feet pattered against the cool floor as he made his way toward the living room where he found Leia waiting for him.

"Where's Mara?" she asked at once.

"She needs something to wear," he told her. "Could you help with that?"

Leia huffed in exasperation. "Fine," she said. Amused, Luke watched her storm away. For all her dignity, Leia could be quite petulant at times.

Luke got changed within the privacy of the empty living room. He had only just folded his pajamas and set them down next to the couch when Leia returned.

"That was fast," he said.

"No, we're going to be waiting a long time," Leia said as she flopped down onto the armchair.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think that woman's ever seen the inside of a closet." Leia snorted and shook her head. "She was so overwhelmed, I think it might take her an hour just to find something to wear."

"I don't think so," Luke said. "Mara's not like that."

"Like what?"

"Frivolous."

Leia frowned as she leaned toward him. "Are you calling me frivolous?"

"Sure am," Luke said with a grin.

Leia gasped in indignation. Picking up the pillow next to her, she threw it at him with surprising force. Unfazed, Luke extended his hand and stopped the pillow in midair.

"That's not fair," Leia pouted.

Luke smirked and lowered his hand. The pillow fell to the ground by Leia's feet.

"Mara's going to teach me how to get revenge," she said.

"Revenge is not the Jedi way," Luke intoned, regurgitating the maxim on instinct.

"Well isn't that convenient for you."

Smiling, Luke tilted his head and rested it against his fist. "So Han and Ben are away?"

"He's taking him to see his Uncle Chewie," Leia said with a chuckle. "He should be back tonight."

Luke's expression turned serious. "How are you two, really?"

"We're doing alright," Leia said, and he was glad to hear a bit of optimism in her voice. "Not as good as you and Mara, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Leia raised her hands. "I'll admit, I had my doubts," she said. "But I was completely wrong. I saw the way she was looking at you last night. Oh Luke, she was absolutely smitten. And this morning?" She trailed off and gave him a cloying smile. "You two are so cute together."

"Oh, stop it," Luke said. He waved his hand, but he couldn't hide how happy that made him feel.

Leia leaned forward and placed a hand on his knee. "I'm happy for you," she said. "I mean that."

Luke returned her smile, but not without hesitation. Things might be looking up now, but who's to say they would stay that way? What would he do if things started turning south? How would he know what to do?

As the minutes wore on, he and Leia grew increasingly impatient. How long had it been? Fifteen minutes? Twenty? Mara sure was taking her time with getting changed.

"Seems like you were right," Luke said.

Leia craned her head back against the chair. "As usual," she sighed.

Just then, Luke looked away when he heard footsteps. He saw the head of a shadow and Luke caught his breath when Mara arrived in the doorway.

She was wearing a long-sleeved white dress made of shimmering silk which hugged her curves and pooled at her feet. The elegant attire was not the only thing which caught his eye, however. She had let down her flaming red hair, and thick tresses cascaded down her back and atop her shoulders.

Her eyes found his, and Luke noticed that she had applied a layering of makeup. While he didn't think she necessarily needed it to make her look beautiful, he also couldn't deny that he found himself mesmerized by her eyes and by the vibrant color of her lips…

"Luke? Hey, Luke? You there?"

He tore his eyes away from Mara to see Leia giving him an amused look.

"Huh?" he asked, mouth agape.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, of course," he insisted. Clearing his throat, Luke stood up and looked back at Mara. She seemed to be flattered but also a bit embarrassed by his reaction. Wringing her wrists and crossing her legs, she met his gaze with a sheepish smile.

"What do you think?" she asked.

There was really no need for Luke to respond – they all knew exactly what he was thinking – so Leia spoke up instead. "It fits nicely," she said. "You know, I had some more casual clothes in there too. Don't feel like you need to dress up for me."

"No, it's fine," Mara said. "I just… it's been so long since I last got to wear a dress."

"Well I'm glad to help rectify that," Leia said dryly. Mara beamed at her, and internally Luke whooped in triumph. They were acting quite amicable with one another both this morning and last night. It seemed his worst fears about them hating each other would not be coming to fruition.

"Shall we get started, then?" Mara proposed.

Leia clapped her hands together excitedly. "Yes," she said. "Where do you want to start?"

"Should I leave?" Luke asked before they could begin. "I don't want to be a distraction."

"No, don't," Mara said. He was surprised by the urgency in her tone. Perhaps she didn't feel comfortable with being left alone with Leia quite yet. "I was thinking you might consider participating, actually."

"How so?" he asked.

"You could be very useful." When Luke arched an eyebrow, Mara elaborated. "You and your sister share a very powerful bond," she explained. "I think it will be easier for Leia to access the Force for the first time if you're here."

"She could latch onto my Force presence, in a way."

"Exactly," Mara said. "So what do you say?"

Luke hesitated. He still had his qualms about Leia receiving training, but if he really trusted Mara like he said he did, he would do this for her.

"Alright," he said. "Tell us what to do."

"First off, get rid of the table and chairs." Luke leaned down to pick up the table, but Mara stopped him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Not like that."

Raising her hand, Mara lifted the table into the air and levitated it toward the opposite wall. Leia watched with wide eyes, stunned by this casual display of power.

"Show off," Luke muttered.

"Can you do better?" Mara asked impishly.

A spark of competition compelled him to lift both hands, and the two armchairs floated upward at his command. He smiled triumphantly, but faltered when one of the chairs began to wobble.

"Careful there," Mara said with a smirk.

Luke asserted his full concentration toward guiding the chairs toward their spots by the table. He set them down and let out a sigh of relief.

"See?" he said. "I can do it too."

"That's nice, guys, but we could have done that way quicker if we just picked them up like normal people."

Luke and Mara both frowned at Leia. "Where's the fun in that?" he asked.

"I get it. You guys know your stuff. Can we get started now?"

Luke flashed Mara a grin which she returned. "Okay, let's all take a seat," she said. They did so, getting down onto the carpeted floor and forming a circular formation. "Copy Luke's and my postures," Mara instructed Leia. "You need to have discipline of both body and mind if you want to access the Force."

He watched Mara closely. While he had received training from two great Jedi masters, he knew that the time he had spent with them was insufficient. If he could swallow his pride, perhaps he could learn a thing or two from Mara. After all, she had trained for years under Maul and later under Sidious whereas Luke had only received a few weeks of proper instruction.

"I want you to close your eyes now and allow your conscious self to slip away."

"What does that mean?"

"Just do it."

Leia frowned, but she closed her eyes nevertheless. "Now what?"

"Embrace the emptiness. Appreciate its enormity."

Luke found himself closing his eyes as well as he listened to Mara's soothing instruction. He could sense his sister's Force presence in front of him. Whether she knew it or not, she was seeking him out. Tendrils of energy stretched outward through the void toward him.

"That's very good," he heard Mara say. She seemed surprised by how naturally this was coming to Leia. "Tell me what you sense."

"Something familiar," Leia said at once.

"How so?"

"It's like… a part of me, I guess."

Luke attempted to help her by reaching out as well, but he suddenly realized that Leia wasn't looking at him at all. At this discovery, he felt a simultaneous and paradoxical wash of cold and gush of warmth.

" _I will always be a part of you._ "

Luke's eyes flew open to find that he was no longer in the living room. Mara and Leia were still seated in front of him, but his surroundings were dark. All around him, he saw pinpoints of light that looked very much like stars. Where was he?

"Mara? Mara, what's happening?" Leia asked, her voice panicky.

"I have no idea," Mara said. She looked around nervously before getting to her feet. Luke followed her suit and looked down to see that he was standing atop a translucent bridge of sorts. Streaks of light demarcated the edges of this mysterious platform. There were countless other paths as well which crisscrossed above and below them, stretching on for eternity in all directions.

"It's beautiful," he said dazedly.

" _It is the Force._ "

Luke spun his head toward the voice, but he saw no one there.

"Who are you?" Leia called out, she the last to stand up.

There was a whooshing sound and suddenly a figure materialized in the middle of the ring they had formed. Luke blinked once and he found himself face to face with a blue-tinged young man with long, unruly hair. His whole body tensed when he realized who it was. It had been two whole years since he had last seen him.

" _Welcome,_ " the ghost greeted. He turned to Leia and considered her for a long while before doing the same with Mara. Unnerved, the two women glanced at Luke, both sensing that he knew something they didn't. " _I have been watching you,_ " the young man finally said as he returned his attention to Luke.

"Silently," he said.

" _Patiently,_ " the man countered.

"Who are you?" Mara asked.

" _A teacher_ ," he replied with a faint smile. " _A guide. A friend._ "

"Is that what you think you are?" Luke asked.

" _That is what I am qualified to be._ "

Luke didn't know what to say to this. Pursing his lips, he looked away toward the infinite expanse.

" _I want you to come with me_."

"Where to?" Leia asked.

" _Onward._ "

Without elaboration, the ghost stepped forward and began to walk away slowly. The three of them all glanced at each other before collectively deciding to follow. Leia took the lead while Luke and Mara walked side by side.

"You know this man, don't you?" Mara asked him.

"Yes," was all he chose to say.

" _You all know me,_ " their guide said. His voice was loud and clear despite facing the opposite direction. " _And at the same time, none of you know me._ "

"What is that supposed to mean?" Leia asked.

No response came. As they meandered onward, Luke noticed that their footsteps seemed to echo, circles of soft light rippling outward whenever their feet touched the ground. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the young man ahead had no such effect on his surroundings. He drifted along, utterly unencumbered by the world at large.

It could have been a minute, or maybe an hour – Luke couldn't tell for sure – but finally they came to a stop and the ghost turned around to face them. He looked at the three of them individually, his eyes lingering especially long on Leia.

"Are you going to tell us who you are?" she asked, irritated yet clearly curious.

" _I am something different to each of you,_ " he replied. He turned away from Leia to look at Mara. " _For you, I was a savior,_ " he told her. He then looked at Luke. " _For you, an idol._ " Finally, he returned his attention to Leia. " _And for you, a monster._ "

Leia's brow twitched. She had no idea what that meant, but Mara was less oblivious. She gasped and her eyes widened with understanding. "You're –"

" _Yes,_ " he said before she could say it. " _I am._ "

"I don't understand! Is this… is this how you used to look?"

He nodded solemnly. " _This is how I looked when I tried to kill you._ "

Luke was sure he must have misheard. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "You didn't try to kill her. You saved her!"

The ghost didn't address his comment. Instead, he kept his gaze locked on an incredulous Mara. " _You were too young to remember,_ " he said. " _You were the youngest one in the nursery. You had perhaps been there only a week._ "

"What nursery?" Mara asked. "Where?"

" _I remember seeing your name on the records before I arrived. I needed to know how many were there._ " A look of anguish passed his erstwhile impassive face. " _I needed to know how many needed to die,_ " he said in a pained voice.

Bewildered, Leia turned to look at him, but Luke was unable to meet her gaze.

"I was at the Temple?" Mara asked, stunned. "I was going to be a Jedi?"

" _I robbed you of that future. I robbed countless children of that._ "

A heavy silence followed these tragic words. Recomposing himself, the ghost resumed his story.

" _I would have killed you as well, but a young Padawan interfered. He took you out of your crib and ran._ _I arrived moments after he fled._ "

Mara swallowed hard. "Who was he?" she asked.

" _His name was Caleb Dume. He was one of the few Padawans who survived the Purge._ _After escaping the Temple, I suspect he hid in the lower levels of Coruscant. It was there where he must have left you at an orphanage. He was only a boy himself. He wasn't capable of taking care of you._ "

Mara was crying now, so Luke asked the question on her behalf. "Is he still alive?"

Luke knew the answer before he had asked. " _No._ "

"What happened? Did you –"

" _No,_ " he said quickly. " _It was not I who killed him, but I am responsible nevertheless._ " There was another moment of silence as the ghost looked back at Mara. " _When the Inquisitors informed me they had captured you, I recognized your name at once. I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I knew I had to save you. I justified to myself that you could make a valuable tool against the Emperor, but the real reason was because I felt guilty. You represented the very last of the Jedi. If you died, the purge would have finally been complete._ "

"Thank you," Mara said hoarsely.

The man flinched. " _I am not worthy of your appreciation._ "

"But you saved me."

" _I was meant to save you, Mara. I saved you so that you could save them._ " He gestured at Leia and himself. " _I failed them. You will not._ "

"I… I don't understand."

" _You provide for them what they each desperately need. For Leia, a friend. For Luke, a partner._ _It is I who should be appreciative of you, not you of me._ "

"I…" Mara tried to say, but the ghost stopped her.

" _Thank you,_ " he said. He bowed before her and Mara's eyes turned wide. " _Thank you for doing what I could not._ " He then straightened his back and turned to Leia and him. " _Do you know who I am now?_ " he asked them.

Luke glanced at Leia and saw that she had figured it out. "You're Darth Vader," she said with a snarl.

"No," Luke said. "His name is Anakin."

" _I am one and the same,_ " Anakin said. " _I am whomever you see me to be, whether that be a monster or a father._ " He paused to consider. " _Or perhaps both,_ " he concluded.

"I don't want anything to do with you," Leia said viciously.

" _And you won't have to if you do not want,_ " he said. The message was sincere, but Luke could see the hurt in his eyes. He clearly wanted to be a part of his daughter's life. " _What I must ask of you, however, is that you allow this woman to heal you._ "

"Heal me? What are you talking about?"

" _My children have been scarred,_ " Anakin said solemnly. " _But the damage is not permanent like it was with me. If you are to recover, you must do as I say. Leia, you must accept Mara into your family and embrace her as your friend. She will be able to help you in a way your brother and husband cannot._ " He then turned to Luke and gave him a wan smile. " _And Luke, you must allow her to love you. Pushing her away will only hurt you both. Open yourselves up to each other. It is imperative that you not hide things from each other as I did with your mother._ "

Somewhere in the distance, Luke heard a faint voice – or perhaps the memory of one. _Come back! I love you!_

" _Will you do this?_ " Anakin asked, his face taut. Neither Luke nor Leia spoke, and Anakin looked away. " _You are not wrong to fear yourselves,_ " he said. " _There is great potential for darkness within you. You inherited that from me._ " He bit his tongue and turned back to them." _I must believe that I fell to the dark side so that you would not. Use my failure as a lesson. Do not repeat my mistakes._ "

He and Leia glanced at each other. Leia looked conflicted. She clearly didn't want to take advice from this man, regardless of how sound it may be.

" _Trust each other. Believe in each other,_ " their father enjoined. " _And most of all, love each other._ "

Luke reached out and took his sister's hand. "We will," he said.

Anakin bowed his head. " _Remember that you are stronger together,_ " he told them. " _I allowed myself to be corrupted when I convinced myself that I was alone. That cannot happen to you._ "

"It won't," Leia said, the vitriol now gone from her voice. Her words were met with a smile.

" _I am proud of you, my children. Whatever path you take, know that I will always be proud of you._ "

With this message, the ghost of Anakin Skywalker faded into the darkness and disappeared. Behind where he once stood, a circular doorway emerged. Still holding Leia's hand, Luke stepped forward and saw the living room on the other side.

"What is this place?" Leia asked.

Luke looked around at their surroundings once again. "I think… it's the past," he said.

"The past?"

He turned back toward the door. "And the present," he said. "And also the future. It's everything. What was and what might have been."

"And what will be," Mara contributed.

He looked at her and smiled. "You're right," he said.

Luke extended his free hand to Mara and she took it. The three stood side by side as they peered into the gateway before them. Taking a synchronous step forward, he heard the same faint voice from before whispering.

_Leia._

_Luke._

_My Luke._

They stepped through the gateway and left the past behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Next chapter will be the epilogue.


	8. Epilogue

"Are you sure you have to go so soon?"

Luke watched from afar as Leia and Mara hugged. They had only met three days ago, and already they were becoming the best of friends.

"We've extended our stay," Mara said when she pulled away.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. You can stay as long as you want."

Luke spared a side glance toward Han who was standing a few feet away at the ramp. He had just emerged from the _Falcon_ after having performed a final check.

"Tell me again how long you'll be?" Leia asked.

"A month, maybe?" Mara turned to him. "What do you think, Luke?"

"No longer than a month," he assured his sister. Of course, he had no way of being certain. He and Mara were going to go wherever the Force led them. Who knows what they could find while they were away.

"Well, we'll all miss you," Leia said, her expression wistful.

"Even Ben?" Mara asked.

Leia gasped. "Especially Ben!" she insisted. Turning to her left, she reached down to scoop her son out of his floating bassinet. "What do you say? Do you want to say bye to Mara?"

His baby nephew absolutely adored Mara and she adored him in return. Taking him from his mother, she elicited a delighted giggle when she kissed his pudgy cheek. Smiling, Luke turned away from the two women as they gushed over Ben. He walked over toward Han who was watching with a neutral gaze.

"Are you sure you're okay with us taking the _Falcon_?" Luke asked for what felt like the umpteenth time.

Han rolled his eyes. "Just be grateful, kid."

"You must really want us gone," Luke said with a grin.

Han opened his mouth to insist the contrary, but he stopped himself. "I want things back to normal," he said.

Levity gone, Luke gave his brother-in-law a sympathetic nod. "Everything will work out."

"You know that, do you?"

"I do."

"And why is that?"

"Because you love each other. It's as simple as that."

Han sighed and looked away back toward Leia. "I used to think that. Things were simpler then."

"Maybe simple is better," Luke said.

Han chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "Maybe you're right, kid."

The pair stood in silence as they watched the two women. Leia had taken Ben back and was setting him down in the bassinet.

"You've got a good one," Han said suddenly.

Luke glanced up at him. "I sure do," he agreed.

"Don't mess it up."

Luke nodded. It may be simple advice, but he was appreciative regardless. No longer would he delude himself into thinking that he and Mara would be better off apart. His father's words had convinced him to dispel of that silly idea.

"I think we're good to go."

Luke refocused his eyes to see Leia and Mara making their way toward them. He met Mara's gaze and smiled. When she reciprocated, he felt his heart skip a beat. He still couldn't quite believe that she loved him in return.

She hadn't so much as said it, but in everything she did around him he could sense it. The extent of her affection and attraction toward him was almost overwhelming. Mara had latched herself onto him, and Luke wasn't going to do anything to push her away.

"Luke?" he heard his sister ask.

He realized that he had been staring at Mara. Blinking a few times, he reluctantly shifted his attention to Leia.

"You okay?" she asked with a smirk.

"I'm good," he said. "Ready to go."

Leia's amused expression turned melancholy as she stepped toward him. Standing up on her toes, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Good luck," she whispered in his ear.

She pulled away, and Luke wasn't surprised to see tears in her eyes. She kept a cool demeanor, but he knew how much she hated seeing him go. He suspected a little part of her always feared he wouldn't come back.

"Contact me whenever you feel like it," he told her.

"Really?" Leia asked. "But what if the transmission gets traced?"

He shrugged. "The risk I'm willing to take."

Leia smiled broadly. "Alright, then," she said. "But you have to answer no matter what time it is."

"We'll see about that," Luke muttered.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Leia said with narrowed eyes.

"I think it's time you two got going, don't you think?" Han interjected.

"Of course," Mara said. She extended her hand to Han and his brow twitched with surprise. "Thank you for your hospitality, Han."

He hesitated before shaking her hand. Luke and Leia watched with both curiosity and apprehension. Han hadn't warmed up to Mara over the past few days, but Luke could tell he was thawing. It was only a matter of time before he accepted her like Leia had.

When they released each other's hands, Han and Mara swapped positions so they could stand next to their respective partners. Han wrapped his arm around Leia and gave his ship one last look.

"Take good care of her," he said.

"Do you not trust me?" Luke asked.

"Not really."

Luke and Mara laughed, but Leia gave her husband a stern look. "They need the ship more than you do, Han," she told him.

"I know," Han said. "Doesn't mean I have to like it." Leia punched his shoulder good-naturedly and Han jumped a half step back. "Hey!" he exclaimed.

Luke grinned at this banter. He found it strange how they chose to express affection toward each other, but nevertheless he was glad that they were back on good terms again. His sister deserved and required a loving partner at her side.

Feeling a hand slip into his own, Luke turned his head to see Mara looking at him expectantly.

"Shall we?" she asked.

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Let's," he said.

Raising his mechanical hand, Luke gave a two-fingered salute to Han and Leia before turning around and walking up the ramp with Mara. Behind him, he heard Leia whispering something to Han.

"Were we ever as cute as them?" she asked.

"Doubt it," Han replied.

Luke snorted as he pressed the button at the top of the ramp. As it began to retract, he and Mara turned around to bid one last goodbye. With a hiss, the door itself sealed shut and they were alone. Without the morning sunlight to illuminate their surroundings, the hallway in which they were standing was quite dark. He was about to clap his hands together to turn on the lights, but Mara grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Mara?" Turning to look at her, he saw the outline of a smile on her shadowy face. His pulse quickened when he realized how close she was to him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She didn't answer. Instead, she released his wrist and her hands drifted up toward his shoulders and around the back of his neck. Luke didn't resist as she pulled him down to her level. Their noses bumped and Mara's smile broadened. Mere inches apart, they locked eyes and stared at one another for a few moments.

Finally, Luke chose to break the silence. "You know, I think I know where you're going with this."

Mara laughed and then she bridged the gap between them. Their lips met and they both closed their eyes. It was a chaste kiss, as neither was bold nor experienced enough to try anything else. Luke didn't care, however. It was more than he had ever dreamed of. They separated, and the couple smiled foolishly at each other. He no longer noticed that they were in the dark as Mara's radiance seemed to light up the entire hall.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," she said, sounding short for breath.

"Oh yeah? How long was that?"

"Pretty much since I first met you."

Luke made a skeptical face. "Even when you were trying to kill me?"

"Is that weird?" she asked.

"A bit."

Mara laughed again, and Luke's smile grew even wider. Leaning forward, he initiated the kiss this time around. Mara's fingernails trailed up and down his neck and he felt as if he was melting. Inhibitions gone, he allowed his passions to take over. Just as things began to heat up, however, Mara was suddenly pulling away.

"I think that's enough," she said impishly. Before Luke could protest, she pulled her hands back and pushed him away gently. "So who's going to fly this ship? You or me?"

"Me, obviously," Luke said.

Mara arched a brow. "You think?"

"I know it."

"Not if I get there first, you won't."

Luke gasped when Mara took off running down the hallway. "Come back!" he called after her.

Yet Luke didn't follow in pursuit quite yet. He stayed where he was, still smiling to himself. Craning his head to the ceiling, he let out a breath and shook his head in disbelief.

All his life, Luke had been searching for something he didn't have. Perhaps he had never actually expected to find it. But now it seemed that he had, and because of that, he was finally whole.

Head held high, he began walking after his partner and on to his future. 

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading until the end! Your comments mean a lot to me, so I'd like to thank everyone who left one. This was a new type of story for me to write, and it was a really enriching experience. While it is of course a romance, the story is really a character study of Luke and, to a lesser extent, of Mara and Leia. In my interpretation of Luke, he was glorified and extolled by the galaxy for being a legend who restored the Jedi Order and ended the Empire nearly singlehandedly. Despite that adulation, he feels hollow inside (hence the title, Hollow Hero). He has yet to overcome the tragedy of his father's death and the trauma of war. In meeting Mara, he begins to put things in perspective and is able to move on with his life. The end of the prologue ("Drooping his head, Luke resumed his trek down the stairs and away from his past") crucially contrasts with the end of the epilogue to show this change ("Head held high, he began walking after his partner and on to his future"). 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Once the idea came to me, I simply couldn't stop writing. I think I wrote this whole story in three weeks or less. I learned a lot about both romance and characterization in the process of creating this story, and I hope to keep building on that in my future work. If you want to read more of my work which is similar to this one, please consider checking out my newest story [Protégé](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211518/chapters/61107985#main). It is an AU character study of Padmé Amidala as a secret and deeply conflicted Sith.


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